Guardian of Fire
by Rabbitfoot O'Eight
Summary: Am I hearing this right? I have to get to Ba Sing Se, find the Avatar, prevent him from getting killed by Azula, and also make sure no one finds out that my stubborn 3-year-old cousin is a firebender? Then again, no one said falling into a cartoon world would be easy. I knew I should've stayed home today!
1. Full Moon Bay

A/N: If there's one thing I hate about writing, it's the beginning of a fanfic with the real world corssover theme. It's a pain to write, mainly because I want to stuff in information to help make sense of my OC(s) and at the same time, I want to get straight into the point of the story. But then, I remind myself that that is what beginnings are for: Introducing your characters.

I hope everyone enjoys! I completed a fanfiction for the first time and I'm still trying to get over that feeling . . . I have a basic idea of what I want to do with this, but I may have a little trouble. I haven't read very many ATLA fanfics and I don't know the comfort-protocol for characters or cliches, so if there's anything you desperatly want left out, now is the time to tell me :)

_FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW ME! _I don't own microsoft word. So I apologize for any spelling/grammar mistakes in the future and wil l do my best to catch them. But don't worry! _i dun typ liek dis_! My worst mistakes will be like _presence vs presance _and _the word vs th eword. _

Instead of "Oh my God" or Nina says things like "Oh, Stars" or "Gods" because I find it boring if all of my Oc's say the same thing. Like my OC Aziya, she says, "Dear Jashin" as a reference to her otaku-ness. :)

_Disclaimer on Profile_

* * *

><p>-x-<p>

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 1: Full Moon Bay**

-x-

_Some say the world will end in fire,  
><em>_Some say in ice.  
><em>_From what I've tasted of desire  
><em>_I hold with those who favor fire.  
><em>_But if it had to perish twice,  
><em>_I think I know enough of hate  
><em>_To say that for destruction ice  
><em>_Is also great  
><em>_And would suffice._

_- Fire and Ice by Robert Frost_

* * *

><p>"The Avatar is dead."<p>

"The fire princess has succeeded whereas she should not . . ."

"The scales have been broken . . ."

"We are in need of the Guardian-"

"Yes, the only one who can help us."

"The Center World is where he lies."

"Where the Sensitive Ones create our story."

"We are breaking laws -"

"We must restore the balance -"

"No matter the time -"

"No matter the place -"

"Let us begin."

"I call upon the spirits to guide us to the Center World - "

"- And bring to us the one who will restore the balance,"

"To save the Avatar from his wretched fate -"

"- The fate that was not to be."

-x-

_"Happy birthday, dear Titan! Happy birthday to you!"_

"Okay, blow out the candles!"

The world goes black.

This is what I get for going out of the house. I leave my comfortable safe haven to go to a three-year-old's birthday party, and I'm tossed into a chaotic mess.

No! No, it's not funny!

It started out like any other day during the week. I awoke to get my cousins and my brother ready for school. I spent the day on my laptop waiting to pick them up from school. My cousin's go home, my brother finishes his homework, and I am once again back on my laptop.

But there was something different about today - a little birthday party for my now three-year-old cousin, Titan.

It was no surprise when the house was filled with people, because I come from a family that breeded like rabbits and we were all raised to be close to one another. It also meant that coming to a little birthday party was a regular thing.

I'm not exaggerating; From my grandparents alone, they had nine children, with my mother being the eldest. Of the nine, I had six uncles who are all married and each having at least two children of their own. And just like my mother, I was the oldest of all the grandchildren (if you didn't count my three adult step cousins).

I'm not going to bore you with the fine details of my family (trust me, there's a lot more I can tell you). It's just that, as the oldest of the cousins at the age of seventeen, I was used to watching over children. I graduated early, I didn't have a job, and I even though I didn't get paid for my excellent babysitting services, I had the time.

Hey, I'm a homebody. And I'm not putting myself down about that, it's just a fact. I hate people, I'm not social, I can't stand big crowds or being alone in new places, and I only have a few friends from my dad's time in the military and they all live across the country.

So, as I stay at home, I am usually watching some sort of tv show such as a cartoon or an anime during my free time. Everything about the day was completely normal.

What's the point of me telling you of all this? These are just important details about my life that you should know, just to avoid confusion for the future. Because you see, my day did not end normal.

Because I was sent into another world. The _Avatar: The Last Airbender_, world. With my three-year-old cousin, Titan.

I never would have seen that coming.

I mean, I've had my fair share of fantasies of diving into one of my favorite fandoms: Naruto, Bleach, Young Justice, etc. I'd usually be some smart-ass who could get away with befriending the villains or doing something that would shock everybody into thinking I was some weird/odd/extraordinary being.

The thing is, people don't just fall into a fictional world. It seriously shouldn't be happening by any means of logic. There are no pink sparkling black holes that's just going to plop some random person into a cartoon that they've seen, nobody is going to fall through their tv - How that happens, I don't know - and nobody dies and suddenly finds themselves in their favorite movie.

I've read about it happening in fanfictions, so of course I had _some_ idea of what to expect when it happened to _me_ of all people. But most of the fanfictions I've read - and even written - plop these people right in the beginning of the story. Give them a chance to get the feel of the way things work in this new world. There were few where it started way before the beginning, or during a turning plot point. But in the middle? I've never read of such a case.

When I fell through whatever decided to take me, I wasn't alone like in other fanfictions. I was in a room _filled_ with people. I disappeared from the living room of a child's birthday party - with said child in hand - and ended up . . . here.

Unlike many of the character's I've read about, I didn't immediatly know where I was. For the record, it didn't help that my brain spent the first ten minutes trying to figure out what just happened. Because who the hell teleports from one place to another?

I found myself fallen in the middle of a busy campsite - or at least, I thought it was a campsite of some sort. My head ached, my eyes were blurry, and I had to resist the urge to throw up. All because my brain tried to process a logical explanation for why I was there in the first place.

My ears rang, and I could hear nothing but echoing voices as my eyes managed to approach the situation first out of my other senses. There were tents. Rundown, old fashioned, set-up-with-sticks-and-cloth kinds of tents. The people dressed weirdly in dark colors, although I was able to find them familiar as they bustled around me. I could hear crying in the distance, and from that my brain was able to function properly enough to remember that I was still holding my cousin Titan.

I could hear him crying on top of the other noises that tried to break past my brain's barrier. Whatever was going on for me must have been ten times as bad for him! Holding him close, I could feel my heart beat wildly against my chest as I spun around, trying to grasp on what reality I had left. What just happened? How did this happen? I was in the living room not even thirty seconds ago! Where the hell am I?

I didn't even get weird stares for my behavior. From what I could conclude about my surroundings, this entire camp was inside some kind of mountain, with gates up at the front that lead to who knows where.

I instinctivley ducked into a corner, holding Titan close as he finally calmed himself. I was grateful for the moment that he didn't pull dead-weight on me, something he did when he was irritated or upset.

"Nina, what happen?" he asked.

I didn't answer, instead curling into the corner as I tried to blink away my own confusion. Hopefully, once I get a little more lucid, this strange enviorment will be gone and I'll be back in Titan's living room, possibly with a cake stuffed in my face.

I had to find out where I was. For once in my life, confusion came to an advantage because my brain was far from thinking of my fear of talking to strangers. Mustering up any bit of courage I had, I carried Titan and approached the first person I saw. She wasn't like the others in attire. Instead of a dull grey and green dress, she wore some kind of uniform and her reddish hair was pinned back into a low ponytail. She also wore a weird hat. 'Cosplayer' would have been my first thought when describing what kind of person she was, but they were soon shoved behind my thoughts of 'What the hell just happened' at the moment.

"Excuse me?" I tapped her shoulder. She turned with a genuine smile, though her face gave a flash of confusion as she took in my clothes, thinking _I_ was the one wearing something weird. What she saw was a healthy young girl with a child, both who didn't look as rundown as the people surrounding us. I wore a grey hoodie with sparkle-pocket jeans, and my hair was braided and pinned into a bun with a clip. My bangs are side sept over my left eye.

Titan wore a simple black hoodie and jeans. I wondered briefly how she'd react when his shoes lit up when walked. When he was in one of his 'moods', his hoodie would conceal his fair brown hair and shadow over the light brown skin I shared. You could tell we were related because of our facial structures, but our eyes deferred. While I inherited our family's darker-than-dark brown eyes, his eyes were a bright blue from his mother's side.

"Can I . . . help you?"

"Umm . . ." Okay, just tell her your problem, she can help. Probably. "Could you tell me where I am?" Yes! Clear words came out instead of gibberish! There have been times when talking on the phone to my apartment's main office to put in a work order made me forget what I was supposed to say.

She turned to look at the markings etched into the high walls.

"You're in sector four," she said and turned back to me. "If you're looking for the ferry boats, you can get your tickets at the main desk up there," she pointed ahead of us, where the white colored walls toward over the camp.

"Do you have any possessions with you?"

"Ferry boats?" I asked, still confused and grasping the one thing I understood. What the hell am I doing in a place that needed ferry boats? I didn't live anywhere near water!

"Ferry boats to where?"

She gave me a look that told me she thought I was going crazy. "You really don't know where you are?"

"No. I don't even know how I got here!" I gasped, feeling Titan squirm in my arms.

"That's a bad cut!" The girl said as she came closure and examined us. I looked down and only now did I notice that Titan had somehow gotten a cut in his forehead right under the middle area of his eyebrows. Probably from when we fell. It didn't look deep, but blood was slowly trickling down his face.

"Oh, stars!" I gasped, beginning to panic. My uncle was going to kill me!

"We should get that checked out," she took his hand and Titan curled into me, snatching his hand away from the strange girl.

It was a stubborn day for him. Titan was always stubborn, but when he didn't want to do something, he would sit there and pull what my mother and I called his 'deaf act'. When I arrived at the house, he had just woken from his nap and wouldn't leave his room, instead crouching on the floor and staring blankly. I liked to think that I was his favorite person because he always chose me over the other grown-up family members (it doesn't help that I spoiled him whenever I had him) but even then I had to bribe him with my phone just to pick him up.

"What's his name?" the girl asked, understanding he wasn't comfortable with her.

"Titan, Tai for short." I sighed, adjusting him so I could hold a hand out. "And I'm Nina."

"Suki." she said, taking my hand in hers. She tilted her head to a case of stairs on the gray brick wall behind us, and I couldn't help but look in awe at the foriegn archetecture.

"Come on, we have a medical station up top and we can get a look at that cut-" She paused, her eyes widen as she suddenly grasps my arm and pulls up the sleeve of my hoodie.

"What happened?"

"Yow!" I flinched, feeling her light grip rub against my skin and pain shoot up the limb. Red marks like a large claw swirled around my arm, the skin searing as if it had been burned.

She took a closer look, her grip loosening as she examined the burns. "This is fresh!"

"I . . . I don't even know where that came from!"

-x-

I sat under one of the many pavilions on the large wall that overlooked this strange campsite. I could see so much more from over the edge, and my eyes widened. This small camp was not small. It was _huge_! I could look left and right and it seemed to stretch on forever! And from this height, I could see just over the opposing wall to find a giant ship getting ready to leave. People stood in the line, holding things that could have been everything they owned for all I knew.

"Oh. My. Stars." I quaked, turning quickly to duck my head. "Where am I?"

My arm propped up on a wooden beam as Titan sat in my lap, fidgeting as Suki attempted to clean his cut. He tried to turn and cling to me as she came near, making a face.

Another girl in a similar uniform to Suki looked at my arm, wrapping it in a long white bandage.

"That's going to scar," she said. "Do you know how you got it?"

"No! No idea! I opened my eyes and I was here. I don't even know where _here_ is!"

Suki managed to put a small sticky bandage on Titan's wound and gave me alook of concern. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I-I was at home." and by home, I meant Utah. America. Reality! Not this weird place! But something was telling me that they'd think I was crazy if I went on. Well, even more crazy then they already thought I was.

"And you just woke up here?"

"Where exactly is _here_?"

Suki looked up at the girl who finished working on my arm, a look of concern clear on her face.

"Hana, I need you to do a perimeter check and alert the other warriors of a possible breech. I don't want to raise any alarms," she lowered her voice. "but we could have a spy from the Fire Nation here. This is the work of a firebender." She turned back to me. "Did you hit your head? Is there any pain?"

i blinked, processing her words.

Fire-whaa?

Did she just say what I think she said?

"D-Did you just say _firebender_?" I stammered.

She gave me a stern look, but softened it when she saw the look on my face. "Don't worry. Full Moon Bay is a place where refugees are safe from the Fire Nation. It's possible they made you guide them here and you hit your head. Let me wrap that up and you'll be headed to Ba Sing Se in no time."

"Fire Nation . . ." I gulped. "Oh, fantastic."

As Suki's voice voice faded out, and Titan began patting me for my attention, I turned out to the camp site again.

Firebenders . . . Fire Nation . . . You'd have to be a total _idiot_ not to put the clues together.

I mean, really what are the chances that I, a completely ordinary person, would end up _here_?

No, no, no, no! I can't! It's impossible! It doesn't make any sense!

My stomach clenched, and all the blood drained from my face. I was vaguley aware of her asking if I was okay.

It sure has been a while since I've really watched this show, but now I just felt so _stupid_ and _crazy_ and . . . and . . .

I'm in _Avatar: The last Airbender_ . . . I'm in the world . . . of _AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER._

The designs on the walls were in the style of the Earth Kindom, the way the people dressed, the refugee camp for going behind the safe walls of Ba Sing Se!

And Suki! She was one of the Kyoshi Warriors to help fight the war! She was one of the main characters! She was _the _main character of the Kiyoshi warriors! Sokka's girlfriend!

I gave her another look over and imagined her in the Kyoshi Warrior outfit with makeup and fans.

"Oh my god," I gasped, trying to breath.

"Nina? Are you alright?" she asked. "You look a little sick -"

I gagged, holding back the vomit coming up my throat.

There were so many things I could do right now. Things I could say! I could go on an adventure and stop things from happening and make sure everybody has a happy ending even though everyone has a happy ending anyway! I could see the future! I could do anything!

I AM THE ALL POWERFUL FUTURE TELLER OF THIS WORLD!

The fan moment didn't last long.

Crap, crap! Suki was talking to me! But what do I tell her? That I knew who she was? That I was from another world?

Of all the intelligent things I could have said right then, there was only one thought that came to mind:

"You have gotto be _kidding_ me!"

And then I threw up.

* * *

><p>AN: Ahh, Nina. What are you going to do now?

I hope I didn't just dump a lot of information for the first chapter. It's just that I want my OC to have a full detailed character, and I'm sure we would all still have our minds on the way things are here in the real world if this happened.

So, on some notes: I just want to say that this is a first sort-of self-insert. I've created a lot of OC's, with personalities of different kinds and based some of their experiances off my own. But the character of Nina is roughly based off of myself the most. Her reactions and the way she thinks is pretty much what I would do in this situation. I even suspect I would throw up due to the shock . . . I don't have that strong of a stomach . . .

The character of Titan is also based off one of my own baby cousins, and when his birthday party came it gave me the jumpstart for how I'm going to start this story. Go Titan! :)

Please **R**eview and tell me what you think! I promis**E** this isn't going to be one of those tacky stories where the main OC sits on the side with a witty one-liner as e**V**erything just happens in front of her. Her presence **I**n this world is going to have some small to major **E**ffects on the plotline. Titan also has his **W**ay in the story too**!**


	2. Hidden Flames

AN: Writing Titan is a lot harder than I thought it would be O_o Hopefully I can get the hang of it in a bit. Just give me some time. The last child-character I wrote was a bubbly Blondie of joy who put the Nightmare King to his knees . . . *shifty look for advertisement*

Special thanks to GoF's first reviewers: _**AbbeyAuditore, ****Abby-Flourite,**_ _**Meg,**_ _and a **Guest**.** :)**_

* * *

><p>-x-<p>

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 2: Hidden Flames**

-x-

* * *

><p>"We screwed up! We screwed up!"<p>

"You've been spending too much time in the Center World."

"It doesn't change that their fates have been wronged."

"Too early . . ."

"Too young . . ."

"How do we fix this?"

"We cannot undo what we have done . . ."

"The Guardian was our only hope . . ."

"Panic not, worldly spirits. There may be more to this than even we know."

"The Avatar's fate lies in the Guardian's hands."

"And yet he has no experience -"

"- No knowledge of our ways."

"Calm yourselves. Let us wait and see -"

"- What the Center World has given us -"

"- To twist the fate -"

"- Of a twisted fate."

-x-

Being here was one thing. Throwing up in front of a fictional character who becomes important later in a cartoon series is another. But hearing voices now?

Maybe I really was going crazy. Accepting that this may be the case, I put aside the conversation of the crazy voices for now and focused on my main problem here. My hands we held in front of my face, flat against each other as if I were in prayer and my elbows on my knees. But this position was more of a way to help me think clearly.

"I'm so sorry." I breathed deeply. Hana gave me a dirty look as she cleaned up the mess I made on the other side of the pavilion.

"It's okay," Suki assured, making a nervous face. "It happens."

"I think I'm going to pass out . . ."

"Oh, please don't!" Suki chuckled. "We don't have any cots around here for you to lay on."

I took another deep breath and checked on Titan, who was awfully quiet.

"Tai?" His head leaned against my side. For a moment I'd thought he'd fallen asleep. But I knew Titan - he didn't nap randomly like his older sister.

Suki gave him a look-over and felt his forehead. "He has a fever."

My eyes widened. "A fever! Now_?"_

"It's okay!" Suki said, trying not to let me panic again. "It doesn't look too bad! He just needs to rest!"

Rest!? Rest _where_!? We don't have any place to sleep! We don't have shelter and I sure as hell don't know how to take care of a sick child without panicking! I may watch over seven kids at a time but when they get sick I give them back to their parents! That's the beauty of having adorable children without them being yours!

"Oh, stars." I took another set of deep breaths. No, Nina! Now is not the time to panic! You can get through this!

I picked Titan up from the bench and cradled him in my lap. His forehead was warm, and he was sweating, but not overly. I gave myself a minute to breath before looking at Suki.

"We don't have anywhere to go." I told her. "We shouldn't even be here. We were with our family. He should be opening his birthday presents right now and stuffing his face with cake! Not here . . ."

She looked at me long and hard before sighing. "I'm only a security guard, so I don't have much influence. And that crazy dragon lady isn't the type to have exceptions for tickets to Ba Sing Se . . ."

She patted Titan's hair down and pursed her lips. "Today is his birthday?"

I didn't want to know the date in this world. I had to stay on my time to keep myself sane. "Yes. He just turned three."

She nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, is there a father in the picture? Do you have any way of contacting him?"

I blinked. "Yes." I said simply, confused by the question. "But I don't know how to contact him right . . ." I was suddenly aware of the lump in my pocket and nearly jumped out of my seat.

I have my cell phone!

Wait . . . did Suki think that I was his mother?

"Oh!" She jumped at my exclamation. "I hope you don't think he's mine! I mean he is, he's my baby but he's not _my_ baby, you know?"

" . . . I don't understand."

"I'm his cousin, not his mother." I said more clearly. "His parents are at home, safe and sound."

"Oh!" She nodded, understanding. "I just assumed, sorry, heh, heh."

I suppose she assumed our family lived in Ba Sing Se, due to the fact that they were 'safe and sound' and I didn't bother correcting her. Telling her about my world - along with the fact that she's a fictional character where I come from - would only confuse her, and it wouldn't bode well.

"Hold on a second," Suki left.

With that small chance - because they don't have things like phones in this world - I held Titan with one hand and dug in my pocket with the other. It was a good thing I had a strong, full battery on my cell, and it doubled with a something called a _Mophie:_ a case that recharged the battery after it died. It would last me a week even if I messed with it for six hours a day. If I left it as is and only used it so often, it would probably last me two.

Titan shifted in my arms, uncomfortable and undoubtedly hot. "It's okay, we're going to get out of here," I whispered. What dumb lluck I would have that he would suddenly get a fever. He was literally fine and dandy an hour ago!

The Fates were not on my side today. One look at the phone to call my mother, or his parents, to tell them we were okay, and I wanted to smack myself. There are no cell towers here you dum-dum! No towers equals no service!

I really was starting to lose it. Could you blame me? I couldn't survive here! I'm a spoiled American seventeen-year-old who lives with her parents and never even had a job before! I graduated early because I busted out crying in one of my classes because my sophomore science teacher was a grouchy old witch and I ended up being homeschooled! I have a hard time walking around Wal-Mart by myself! How can anyone expect me to live in this world of war _and_ take care of a child who barely potty-trained himself! HOW?

I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN LAID YET.

DOES ANYONE SEE MY PROBLEM HERE OR IS IT JUST ME?

Great, now I'm yelling at myself.

This is bad, this is bad, this is bad!

Panicking, panicking, panicking!

DAMN IT, TITAN, YOU'RE SO SCRAWNEY WHY ARE YOU SO HEAVY?

"Maybe these will help," Came the calming voice of Suki who reappeared before us. She held out small bag, and a rolled green-blanket-type thing was attached on top.

"It's not much, but it's better than nothing. Sometimes other refugee's leave things when they leave for Ba Sing Se." She handed me the bag with a smile.

"We don't have a lot of medicine here, but your cousin should be fine so long as he gets a lot of rest. I have to go back on patrol now."

_Lucky!_ Maybe I wasn't all that down on luck today!

"Thank you. Thank you so much!" I took the bag, which was heavier than it looked, and hoisted it around my shoulder.

Before we bid our farewells, I wanted to tell her something that could help. But what could I say? It was possible she already met with the Avatar and the rest of the Gang. But what if she didn't?

It was too late to give her any sort of warning of the future that may or may have already passed when she said goodbye and disappeared. I shook my head and took more deep breaths to calm myself down.

Useless, useless!

I had to keep myself focused now. Unlike the fanfiction character's I've read about, I am now responsible for someone's life other than my own. A sick one at that. It'd be nice to know why he was sick in the first place. If only I studied to be a doctor, or an engineer so I could do something with my phone - anything!

I descended the stair case and found an area of the refugee camp that was clearer than others. It was back in the corner I met Suki in. Propping Titan on my hip and using one arm to keep him steady, I sat on the ground and dug through the things Suki gave me.

My goal now was to survive and keep Titan safe. The first book of _The_ _Hunger Games_ - the only book I read from the series - told me I needed water. Water was very important, and it could possibly help Titan . . . somehow.

So the first thing I looked for was a water bottle of some kind. What were they called? Waterskins? No, I found a canteen. Perfect! Except not perfect, because it was empty. I can only hope it's not crawling with bacteria.

The gear Suki gave me was a lot more than I would have thought. First, I checked out the blanket that was attached on top of the bag. To my luck, it was a padded sleeping bag, soft enough for comfort. I laid that out first and folded the top for a pillow for Titan.

Next, I found a medium-sized black box that contained first-aid-like materials: a couple of bandages, a pink roll of wrapping, a small bottle of what looked like vinegar, some kind of ointment that was labled in an Asian language I didn't understand, tweezers and alcoholic wipes. I tossed out what couldn't be used, like empty packages and used, dirty materials. The bag also had a couple of rags, with two cans of food - beans. Yuck. Of all the things . . . ugh, at least it would be something for Titan to eat when he felt like it.

Moldy bread - tossed. And, yes! A pocket knife . . . dear lord I hope that's dried mud.

I blanched, but I couldn't help but be grateful about my luck. My family was trained in protecting our own, and that was exactly what I was going to do. Taking one package of alcoholic wipes, I sanitized the knife and took a few minutes to figure out how to put it back together.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. Of course, if I was smarter earlier I would've asked Suki for help a little more. That's my fault. But then again, what could she do? It's not like she could take us home . . .

But Aang could. It may have been a couple of years since I really watched the show, but I knew enough! I used to be able to recall an entire episode just by its name!

Yes! This was perfect! I could seek Aang's help, because he was the Avatar and he was the one with all that other worldly spiritual stuff! It would totally work!

So . . . leaving Suki was probably a stupid idea, since she was Sokka's girlfriend and all. And it was very unlikely that I would find her among this big place again. It was amazing I ran into her in the first place! I could have spoken to a random security guard or another Kiyoshi Warrior.

Silently thanking the other worldly beings that ruled this universe, I repacked the bag, double-knotted the tie and put it on.

I needed to get to Ba Sing Se. I knew the city of walls and secrets was big, but the Gaang didn't really know the definition of discreet. Hopefully, I wasn't too late.

My knowledge of the Avatar world surfaced. First, Suki was here. Meaning the Kiyoshi Warriors didn't get captured by Azula, meaning we're not even close to the Fire Nation taking over Ba Sing Se. I had time. I would be all over trying to help out with my vast knowledge of this universe, but honestly, I need to get home. Home is safe. Home is no worries and home is Titan's home where his parents must be worried sick!

His father must be freaking out right now. I could imagine my uncle rampaging around the house and then yelling at the police and cursing and -

This thought process really isn't helping.

I had to stay focused on the now.

. . . I really shouldn't have left home today . . .

-x-

Okay, Nina. You're not allowed to feel guilty about this. It's needed for your survival. It's needed for Titan . . . Oh gosh, why did I leave him alone?

My luck should be running cold soon. I found a tent that nobody was using. Apparently, the tents were used for all refugees and most weren't brought with them here. Titan was sleeping soundly, and I was sure to take off his hoodie so that his fever didn't over heat him, but kept him covered so he didn't get cold. That was when my stomach grumbled, and I found myself dead thirsty. I was in desperate need of water of some kind, and no matter how badly I needed it I refused to eat cold beans. The texture of such a vile food source would make me toss my cookies again.

Now here I was, becoming a criminal of the night. It wasn't that quiet; I would hear the occasional voices of conversation and crying children, along with the bell ringing for the next group to head on to the next ferry boat that just arrived. It ran throughout the night.

Every few seconds I would have to talk myself out of turning around and running back to the safety of my tent to make sure Titan wasn't kidnapped or something. I didn't know what weirdos were in this world, and I do remember a family getting all of their things stolen, causing the Gaang (I was sticking with the term for shortness) to guide them through the _Serpent's Pass_.

If only I could waterbend! Or earthbend! Or have some useful ability other OC's in fanfictions got when they somehow ended up in my similar situation! My heart was pumping so loudly in my ears, I feared that it would alert someone of my presence.

I was a good distance away from my tent, with the knife in the safety of my pocket and the bag weighing down on my back.

Guilt was killing me. I was forced to ease my conscience by telling myself that Titan's survival was more important than these other people. To help, I managed to stay away from those with children of their own.

For over an hour and a half, I scavenged from different camps, taking just enough so they wouldn't notice what was missing. I had two close-calls: One guy had woken up to leave the tent, probably to use the bathroom. With nowhere to go, I had frozen in my spot just off to the side, my hand in my pocket for when he would attack . . . and he walked right passed me. It helped that I blended into the shadows, but he was so close, and I was standing right there! He didn't notice me at all!

And again, when a woman awoke and looked in my direction, she did nothing, instead turning around and falling back to sleep.

Six apples (Well, five now because my growling stomach was going to give me away), a canteen full of water, and a blanket and a pillow stolen later, I was pushing my luck by the third time it happened.

The next tent I ducked into was larger than most, more towards the front where the camp was more lively and a few fires were made for light and warmth. What I found there had me, once again, thanking the universe for my luck. I managed to find a bag with bottles of essential oils. Not perfume oils, real, edible, healing oils that were good for your body. I thanked the stars for my family's new obsession with Essential Oils and dug through the bag.

The labels were useless to me, using a language I didn't understand. But I could recognize the smells and colors. Lavender, lemon, oh gosh, this bag was like heaven! It was expensive too!

I could remember my mom telling me what could help for fevers. There was B.R.A.T.: Bread, rice, apples, and . . . I always forget what the 'T' stands for.

For the oils, I could remember Lavender being great for almost everything. What else? Peppermint was good for headaches, I better keep a bottle of that; eucalyptus was good, I stole two of those bottles. Maleluca was what my aunt called the 'Liquid stitch' . . . I grabbed two of each.

My attention was brought to the bottom of the bag - hidden beneath the side flaps was the holy grail: Tickets. And Passports. How the heck do refugees get passports anyways? They're refugees! I could remember that crazy woman refusing the Gaang through because they didn't have any passports.

I could take them . . . but then how would whoever I'm stealing from get to Ba Sing Se? How conflicting.

A woman of old age came into the tent, out of breath like she'd been running. Once again, I was caught; ready to sprint. However, she merely turned to grab a bucket of what water and left as quickly as she came.

Either the people here are very unobservant, or I really have a talent for going by unnoticed. That would explain my short time in high school . . .

Haha! If only.

And _that_ was where I thought my luck ran out. Upon returning to my area of safety, I could hear screaming and yelling, and suddenly a bright light like the sun lit up the cave . . . exactly where Titan was.

I screamed in horror. Without thinking, my feet darted to home base, avoiding splashes of water as everyone attempted to take out the fire. "Titan!"

I ignored the shouts of the other guards warning everyone to stay back. I could see the Kiyoshi Warriors do tricks in the air as they helped out of my peripheral vision. But my mind was on one thing: Titan.

No, no, no! Please don't be stuck in there! Please tell me someone, anyone got him out!

I could hear a cry in the distance. Titan's cry. I'd know it anywhere. My adrenaline kicked in, and I turned a corner. Another. And another.

I pushed past the security who held the people back from trying to save their scraps for things. I followed the cry.

And I found him. I could see him crawl away from the flames, trapped. No one was around to help him. No one was around to do anything! Again, not thinking, I flew through the fire and took off my sweater. Mere seconds could have passed, but it felt like forever. I wrapped my sweater around his little body and cast myself from the flames.

"Are you okay?" I cried. He had no burns, but he looked woozy from his fever and crying. My sweater was singed, the sleeves burnt up to the wrists and a large, black hole went through the back. I found it odd that his own hoodie, clutched in his tiny hands, was burned around the top, but not completely ruined.

He wasn't harmed, and I let myself breath. Hugging him tight, I continued to tell him over and over that everything was going to be okay. We lost the comfy sleeping bag, but at least we had a blanket and pillow.

I examined him again, and suddenly heat waved passed my cheeks as he sneezed. Jerking back in my flurry, I looked over Titan again. He sneezed, and fire blew from his mouth.

"You've got to be _kidding_ me!" I exclaimed. He sneezed again, this time missing my hands by an inch.

I wiped his nose and zipped his hoodie back on. Ash rained down from above us, and I scanned our surroundings to make sure nobody saw what I just witnessed.

No. No, that can't be right! Titan couldn't be a firebender - it was impossible! My eyes must be tired from exhaustion.

The next sneeze that came was harder, and I had to jump back from the fireball that exploded from his mouth as he knocked himself back with a _Ooof!_

"Ninaaaa," he whined, wiping his nose. "I'm thirsty!"

I crawled towards him cautiously, opening my bag to grab the canteen.

A strong scent hit my nose, and I just know that one of the bottles of oils broke. One of the lavender bottles, no doubt. Damn it, these things are hard to come by. I could only hope nothing else broke.

Practically shoving the mouth of the canteen down Titan's throat, he took two gulps before it began spilling out over his chin.

"Ew," Perfect. Let's waste the water Nina! Good job!

My mind clicked. titan could have started the fire. Anyone could have seen him do it! And if that happened, we were screwed. We had to get out of here, now.

"The gates are closing!" Someone shouted. And in seconds, a world record if you asked me, I had everything packed and Titan in my arms.

Uncomfortable by the fast movements, he began to stubbornly struggle in my grip. "No, don't you dare pull dead weight on me now of all times, Tai!"

He whined, kicking his legs. The gates were nearly closing, with as many people running through as possible. Everyone just piled through, knocking down the guards and trampling over each other. All to escape the chaos that was spreading quickly on the other side of the wall.

My luck had run out. I was almost through, only to have someone shove me to the ground and step on my leg. _Please don't be broken._ I could move my leg as I curled around Titan, who cried and pounded against the ground. I didn't know which way was right side up, and my head began to pound. I haven't slept yet, Titan needed to eat, we needed to hide - so many things happening at once!

A pair of strong hands gripped my arms and lurched my body forward, taking out the rest of my breath.

"Don't worry, I've got you!" The voice of a boy said. He pushed me through the crowd, shouting something that I couldn't understand. One more push, and we were met with darkness.

-x-

It took several minutes for my eyes to adjust to the newfound darkness. We had made it on the other side of the wall. People were remotely calmer now that they could breathe in the salt-water air and smoke of the ferry rides that would take them to freedom. Our savior guided us to a bench and let us sit for a minute, asking if we were okay.

"We're through," he said.

"Thank you so much for your help," I gave another look over Titan, who was still whining as he held on my blue shirt. His forehead had cooled, but he was still feverish and his eyes looked hazy. I held him so he could lay his head on my shoulder and I had one free arm to work with.

"Is he okay?" the stranger asked. I almost forgot he was there.

"Yes, he's just a little feverish." I dug through the bag, setting it's contents to the side to make sure nothing was completely ruined. The blanket soaked up most of the lavender that spilled and was no longer useful unless I had a washer available to take out all the glass.

"Damn it," I muttered. I finally saw the face of our savior. His face was young, suggesting his age around eighteen to twenty, with wild brown hair that spiked on all sides. He was relatively normal, save for the strand of wheat he chewed between his teeth.

I blinked once. Twice.

"I'm Jet." He said, holding out a hand with his signature smirk.

"N-Nina." I said robotically.

Really? _Really_?

First Suki, and now _Jet_, a man who hates anyone that has to do with the Fire Nation comes to my rescue?

If it weren't for Titan, I'd have almost wished he would've just let the crowd trample me.

"It's great to meet you." he said. "That was a nasty fall back there. I was even lucky my own friends managed to help me too," he laughed light-heartedly and it was hard to believe he was such a hardened-heart person.

I forced my own light chuckle. Picking up Titan so that he could lay his head on my shoulder, I used my free hand to empty the contents of my bag. The lavender smell was strong, and I tossed the blanket off to the side, using half of it to clean off anything that was touched with the oil.

"Dang it," I muttered before sighing.

"You look tired," Jet said as he sat with me. I gave an uneasy smile. I can only imagine how bad I looked. I haven't even slept yet.

I took out my pocket knife and began cutting off some pieces of a saved apple. Offering him a piece, because it was the least I could do, I asked, "So, you have friends here too?"

He nodded. "Thanks. And yeah, well, they're more like family. Longshot and Smeller Bee. We just lost our home to a bunch of Fire Nation soldiers a while back. We've been on the run ever since."

I nodded in understanding. I remembered that episode, the one where he flooded a Fire Nation village, but Sokka managed to get the people to safety. Of course the forest was probably burnt down soon after, and here he was; on his way to Ba Sing Se.

"I'm so sorry," I meant it. I couldn't imagine losing my home like that.

His eyes hardened and he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "It's in the past now. The three of us are hoping to have a fresh start in Ba Sing Se."

I'm sure you will. Not.

As we finished off the apple in a moment of comfortable silence, he took a look at the soiled blanket.

"Thanks for the apple. I could clean this out for you if you want? Try and make it usable again."

"You don't have to do that," I assured him.

He shrugged. "It's the least I could do, you look like you have your hands full as it is." He gestured towards Titan, who, thankfully, snuggled into my neck and was sleeping soundly. I could still feel his fever, and for a moment I wondered if it was because he was becoming a firebender.

I don't know how that could suddenly happen, but I'd have to be careful, especially since Jet was trying to form a friendship. In fact, it might be better if I get away from him. His kindness wouldn't last long once he found out our secret.

"That would be great. Thanks."

He nodded and took off. I'm sure he'll run into the other two freedom fighters on his way. Just enough time to get away. I hoisted my bag over my shoulder and pocketed my knife. The moment he was lost in the crowd, I high-tailed it out of there.

What is going on here? First I end up in a cartoon, then I just _happen_ to run into two semi-important characters in the show? Was there a realm of fates up there doing this for the fun of it?

Damn it! I knew as soon as I got a clear head on what just happened, I'd fangirl over the fact that I just met and got saved by the infamous Jet: Leader of the Freedom Fighters.

Pull yourself together Nina! Should you succeed in finding the Avatar and meet Toph, you'll have to keep yourself from fangirling all over the place!

I _really_ should have stayed home today.

* * *

><p>AN: So many things raining down on Nina at once, poor thing. I hope this wasn't too horrific. I'm still trying to work out the kinks, but I made a timeline of events so I can keep things easy. I mean really, who says you'll land at the beginning of the show and having it easy? Hahaha.

Review and tell me what you think! What should I fix? Any cliches you want me to avoid? Tell me and don't hold back!


	3. Talentless

A/N: I've been trying to put a _F__rozen_ reference in one of my fanfics due to my new obsession with the Disney movie and I couldn't resist when I began writing the beginning xD

_**Special Thanks To:**_

**sayhellonotgoodbye22:** Ironically, this OC is more based off myself than any other character I've ever made xD But I guess that's the thing - her character is only based. My fantasy involves knowing everything there is to survival and being able to waterbend or have awesome ice powers and stuff, hahaha! It's rare for me to find fanfiction that have an OC with a full character to herself and I'm hoping to do that concept justice. I hope you enjoy my future chapters! :)

**Abby-Flourite:** Best Avatar fic yet already? Hahaha, I wouldn't go that far just yet it's only been a few chapters! But I'm still very flattered, heeheehee.

**Guest:** Good! Different is good! lol

* * *

><p>-x-<p>

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 3: Talentless**

-x-

* * *

><p>"Reindeer are better than people~" I sang dully as Titan sat comfortably on my lap. "Tai, don't you think that's truuuuue?"<p>

I changed my voice to a lower, more humorous pitch, "_Yeah people will beat you, and curse you! And cheat you! Everyone of'ems bad! Except youuuu! _Thanks buddy," I ended normally.

Titan giggled as he looked up at me, his attention averted from my cell phone he was playing games on.

"Stop looking at me like I'm a weirdo, I'm bored!" And that _Frozen_ song was stuck in my head. I still don't know why.

It had been around an hour into the night when I managed to sneak us on to the ferry-boat. Despite the chaos, they still checked who had tickets to get on and I ran past as soon as one of the security guards looked away. I haven't slept yet. Once we got on I found a spot near the side of the boat in case Titan awoke and got sea sick. As he slept on our only pillow, I tossed on my sweater despite it's holes and used a bit of water on one of the rags to keep his forehead cool. He was curled into my side to keep warm even though his sweater was less damaged than mine.

I couldn't sleep because I was too busy checking on him over the night. At one time I had to leave to use the bathroom and had the chance to wet some more rags. I may have dozed off a couple of times, but my mind was too hazy to remember.

Then we have Jet.

"What kind of song is that?" he asked as he rose an eyebrow from his spot.

"I'm tired, my mind isn't exactly making sense right now." I paused. "And my songs are beautiful!"

He chuckled. "Whatever you say."

I stuck out my tongue, not feeling completely sane at the moment.

We just so happened to get on the same ferry-boat. Of course. Could I have expected any different?

"I saw you sneak on," he had said with a smirk when he found me. With many apologies I had to tell him a half truth. I don't have any tickets and so needed to sneak on to the ferry-boat. And I didn't know when I would have a chance like I did then.

Instead of getting upset with me for doing something 'illegal' or offended that I left him, he laughed at me.

"I like your style!" he said. Why am I not surprised?

And so, the night had come and gone and here I was now, dying of boredom. Jet was good company, though he slept most of the night.

"Did you get any sleep?" Jet asked as he gave me a closer look.

"Of course I did!" I lied. He wasn't convinced. I could only imagine the dark rings under my eyes. I've never been one to successfully stay up all night unless I was watching a TV series.

"You need to sleep. Your kid will be fine with that odd contraption he's playing with, a couple of hours won't hurt."

I was too worried. I can't sleep if I'm worried. But speaking of sleep, I was pretty tired.

"I am a total stranger," I asked suspiciously. "What would you care if I slept or not?"

He shrugged, leaning back to lay an arm on his propped up knee. "For one, you have a kid. And you're not going to be able to take care of him if you're dead on your feet."

I didn't bother explaining that I was his cousin and not his mother - because either way, it was true.

"For another, we're all refugees here," he motioned towards the others occupying the boat. "Us war-survivors gotta stick together, you know?"

I nodded. He had a point, but my paranoia was too much. I could trust him and his character now, but if I woke up and found all of my things gone, I don't know what I would do.

What to do, what to do? I couldn't very well stay up another night, and when we all got off I don't want to be stumbling around like an idiot - especially since they'll be checking passports before letting anybody through the gates at Ba Sing Se. I sighed and let myself trust Jet for a moment. Nodding, he smiled in confirmation and stood up.

"I'm gonna go find my friends and see if they serve any food on here. You get a little shut-eye for now, okay?"

He left and I let myself slouch, holding Titan who was fussing with the MegaJump game.

-x-

I awoke to Jet shaking me awake a couple of hours later. I didn't realize how long I had been asleep, and in my panic I searched for my bag to make sure it was there. It was right where I left it, between my back and the wall of the boat. Titan lay sleeping with his head on my phone, and I pocketed the device.

"Rise and shine," said Jet. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and realized we were not alone. Two more characters I recognized sat in a small circle before me: Smellerbee, a girl with the short, brown hair and red lines on her cheeks, and Longshot, a boy with dark hair obscured by a hat and a small, muscular build.

Jet introduced me to the two former Freedom Fighters and I shook their hands with a smile of my own.

"I'm Nina. And the sleeping one is Titan, but you can call him Tai."

"Nina?" Smellerbee said questioningly. "What kind of name is that?"

What kind of name is Smellerbee? "Well, my full name is Syrena, but I look after a lot of little ones and 'Nina' is easier for them to pronounce."

"You have family in Ba Sing Se?" she asked. I shrugged.

"I guess you could say that."

Jet folded his arms. "We were just discussing some plans for tonight, and I think we could really use you."

"Use me for what?" I have no skills what-so-ever.

"You could say to . . . liberate some food." He said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. It took me a few seconds to remember this morning's 'breakfast' that Titan refused to eat. A cold, brown and sluggish goop with hard balls of meat that I wasn't even sure was meat. He instead ate one of our apples, leaving three in their wake, and refused to eat anything else. I was only lucky that they had fountains here with drinkable water.

I nearly face-palmed. By the Gods. How could I not think of this? I remember in the series that Jet met Zuko and Iroh while Zuko complained about the food.

Which means Zuko is here.

On this boat.

Where I am.

Oh my stars.

"I'm in." I said automatically. The Freedom Fighter trio all smiled at my sudden enthusiasm.

"Great. I met another guy who can also help out. We'll meet up with him when the sun has set."

"Awesome!" I clapped in glee, ignoring their weird stares.

Can you blame me? Zuko is one of my favorite characters! And If I've met two minor characters in the series, what would be the harm in meeting a major one?

I had to resist the urge not to shake in my seat. With a clearer, well-slept mind, I was able to fully grasp my situation at hand.

I, a real-world girl, met the real, fictional character Jet. Jet is asking me for help. I'm going to meet the banished Fire Nation prince Zuko. Suddenly, this world got a lot more exciting.

And now that I've slept, my paranoia that the ship would break apart with Titan on one side and me on the other didn't seem so prominent. I trusted that he would sleep through the night (nothing could wake him up until he decided to wake up) and his fever had gone down a lot. Plus, he needed to eat. Real food, not just apples and beans.

I clapped my hands together once with a bright smile on my face. "This is going to be fun!"

-x-

"Nina, this is a new partner to our great cause, Lee. Lee, this is Nina." Jet introduced. Lee? The boy standing before me was around my age, with black spiky hair and refugee clothing. His face was marred over the left eye with a pink and red scar, and his golden eyes were narrow and sharp.

That's right, Zuko's cover name is Lee. I'd have to be careful not to slip up on that.

"Nice to meet'chya!" I held out a hand for him to shake. His grip was firm compared to my lanky-ness.

"Likewise," he said cautiously in that rough, teenage voice he had in the series.

I tried not to squeal. Okay, Nina! Act cool! Act cool!

I folded my arms with a small smirk. "So, we've got the plan?"

The boys nodded. In a brief summary, Jet described what we were all to do. He scoped out the place before hand, describing the kitchen to be on the upper deck of the ferry-boat. Smellerbee will distract the minor guards while Jet, Zuko - er, _Lee_ - and I are to sneak up top. Longshot would then send up an arrow with rope so that we could slide down the food.

I don't remember the details of how this plan went in the series, but I do remember that is was successful, so I trusted the fates to let this pull through.

When it came down to it though, as Zuko in the darkness of the stairs held an arm out to signal me back, my stomach knotted. I was fully aware of my thoughts now that I was completely awake. Zuko must have noticed the uneasy look on my face.

"Have you ever done this before?" he whispered. Ooh, our first conversation!

I shook my head, staring straight forward. "Nope." I then smiled, though it was more shaky than I would have liked.

"And yet you're supposed to be helping us?"

I rolled my eyes. "We all have to start somewhere,"

"Perfect," he seethed.

"Oh, hush mister angsty-pants. Focus on the game plan."

We waited for Jet's signal, but as the light passed from one of the passing guards, he came down the stairs, his face angry.

"The keys are looped _into_ his belt." he said, so low I had to repeat his voice in my head to understand what he was saying.

Zuko smacked his forehead in a very cartoonish way. Taking this chance, I peeked over the ceiling-floor of the stairs to see the guard with his back turned. I could see the golden loop of the key holder wound tightly to his waist. Any removal of the belt would release any feeling of pressure and he would notice immediately.

"Great, this plan is a bust -"

"No, we just need to change it."

"Maybe I can break it open. It should be easy enough."

"Why don't you just pick the lock?" I asked simply. The boys turned to me from their banter.

"The guard's patrol is too close together. There wouldn't be enough time to get in and out with those few extra seconds wasted."

And they went back to arguing with each other. I tried to cut in several times, but I guess boys will be boys. Poor Smellerbee, being the only girl.

You know, for skilled/trained guys in thievery and weapons and such, they could be pretty stupid.

I mean, how do we even know that it's locked?

I waited for the next guard's light to pass before sneaking up the stairs and on the upper deck. A loud _creeeaak!_ hushed the whispered argument of the boys who then poked their heads above the stairs like the heads of chicks from their eggs. I didn't have that trained light-step they did. The guard, just a dozen feet away stopped in his tracks at the sound.

I held my breath as the guard looked behind him briefly, before turning and continuing on his way.

"What are you _doing_?" Zuko hissed. I held out my hands like, "What?" and continued to the door of the kitchen. The entire room was built up in the middle of the deck, shaped like an octagon. I didn't have long before the guard made a complete circle again.

The door didn't have a round knob, but a rectangular handle. I pushed on it lightly and it caved in with a small _click_.

The boys stared owlishly at me as I gave a quiet sigh and a dull look.

Go through an elaborate plan to get the keys, only to find out the door is unlocked. Smart, very smart.

I hurried them over here and they looked both ways before having their little light step skill fly them over the creaked floorboards.

Jealous, so jealous, that I am.

Wish I could do that.

Stupid cartoons.

"Smart thinking . . . but Lee was just going to break open the latch." Jet said as we got to work. I dug through the cupboards for a bag and filled it with few spices (for the meat Jet had snatched) and fruits. I also grabbed some containers that were vaguely like water bottles.

"Sometimes, boys, you just need to check if the door is open." I sounded so wise, and Jet gave me a smile that said he saw me in a new kind of light. He probably didn't expect me to know what I was doing - just needed a few more hands for food.

I didn't know what I was doing. I just thought of an episode of Doctor Who where the two male characters were arguing about how to unlock the door and the female character just opened it right there.

This seemed like that kind of situation. And if there was one thing I knew about this world, it was that it appreciated humorous irony.

As Zuko gathered some dishes of food with his twin blades (that's what I called his weapons in my mind at least), Jet looked at him much like he looked at me - appreciating the skill.

"Guards coming!" Smellerbee's voice came from outside. In under forty-five seconds we had gathered what we could and headed out. An arrow shot from the below and hit the beam in front of us. We sent down the bags of food first, and then Jet slid down, followed by Zuko, followed by Smellerbee.

"Hey!"

Someone called from behind me. Without thinking, I whipped out my pocket knife. I nodded to the others who looked up in worry and turned while pocketing the knife in the same second.

"You're not supposed to be up here!" the guard said. He held a lantern over his shoulder, the light encasing the two of us in a yellow circle.

I gulped and held my arms around me. "I'm sorry sir, I didn't know."

"It's late, missy. What are you doing up here?"

I shrugged with a friendly smile. "I'll admit, my intention upon coming here was to steal some food."

He rose his eyebrow and took in my small, healthy-looking form. It was obvious I didn't have any skill in that type of thing.

"Very funny," he said.

I let out a hoarse laugh. "Okay, okay, I was just wondering if there were any extra blankets up here? My three-year old is shivering and I fear he may be sick."

He gave me a hard stare before sighing and relaxing. "All righty, miss. But next time you'll have to be more careful. Follow me."

Hopefully he wasn't just bluffing to throw me overboard.

I descended the stairs with a pile of fresh, soft blankets and grinned in victory. This was easier than I thought! As I made my way to our meeting spot, I ran into Zuko and Jet running back.

"Did you forget anything?" I asked, confused.

"We thought you were a gonner, we were coming back to get you." said Zuko. Jet couldn't help but shake his head and give a few slow claps.

"That was beautiful. You made it out in one piece, not bad for a first-timer."

I tilted my head with a sheepish grin, not used to the kind of compliment. "I try."

-x-

Jet passed out some dishes of food to other refugees as the group sat in a circle with our own food. Titan had woken from the cold and was now wrapped in one of our new blankets, munching happily on his small bowl of rice. I would occasionally take a bite from his bowl, unable to contain my hunger.

I couldn't have been more ecstatic upon meeting Iroh, who's kind smile was a great comfort in this new world I had to survive in. He was also a favorite of mine, especially since he was such a good guy.

"Such a beautiful child you have there," he said. "How old is he?"

Beautiful didn't even begin to cover how adorable Titan was. At his age, he could be mistaken for a girl because of the soft, round features of his face. It only made his cornflower blue eyes pop out that much more.

I swallowed my spoonful of rice. "Titan just turned three."

He gave a small wave at the boy. "Ahh, three? Already a man of the house, aren't you, boy?" he chuckled. Titan frowned at the stranger speaking to him and turned away.

"He's shy," I stated.

Iroh waved it off in understanding. "Ahh, why don't you eat some of the delicious food you gathered for everyone? I'm sure there is plenty enough to go around."

I ran a hand through Titan's hair and sighed. "I can wait. I just need to make sure he's fed."

"Such responsibility for a young girl. You look especially young to be a mother."

As if he thought it were obvious, Zuko rolled his eyes with a groan. I couldn't help but laugh. "Noooo, I'm not his mother. I'm his cousin."

"Uncle," Zuko groaned. Iroh sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"My apologies, I seem to be assuming all the wrong things lately." He laughed to himself. Not ten minutes ago he accidentally let slip that he thought Smellerbee was a boy. I tried not to laugh, because I think that was everyone's assumption on the series until she corrected him and stormed off with Longshot.

Jet returned and sat in the spot in front of Zuko.

"From what I heard, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on the giant wall."

_Be glad you don't now._ Of course, at this time I didn't quite remember the details of the series. Were Aang and the rest of the gang fighting the drill? Or were they guiding a family through the _Serpent's Pass_? It was too bad I couldn't do anything to help. I'd only just get in the way.

I didn't have any special skills other than basic self-defense I learned from my grandparents martial arts school, and Titan may have been a firebender now, but he's still a child. The best thing we can do is seek out the Avatar's help to get us back home.

"I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of, but that's why we're headed to Ba Sing Se. For a second chance." Jet said. I didn't realize I had drowned out their conversation with my thoughts.

"That's very noble of you." Iroh said as he glanced at Zuko. "I believe people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances."

Zuko glared at nothing in particular and took a sip of his tea.

"So what's your story?" he asked after turning away and averting their attention to me.

"My story?" I jumped, surprised.

"What happened to your aunt and uncle?"

Titan looked up from his food and twisted his torso to hold out his rice-covered hand to my face. I took a grateful bite of the rice that rested in the palm of his hand.

"Nothing to tell really," I said. What do I say? Do I lie? If there was one thing I learned in life, it was that lying never usually ended well. Especially in my situation. "We . . . got separated a while back and . . . well, next thing I know the two of us are in Full Moon Bay. I'm hoping to find the rest of our family in the city." When by 'find' I mean finding a way back to them.

We all sat and chatted for a while, with Zuko sparing me glances from the corner of his eye. I didn't notice at first, being to preoccupied with Titan who had finished his food and was getting cranky. He kept climbing on my torso and tugging at my shirt to ask for my phone. Because we were so close to others, I didn't really want to whip out the advanced technology. Besides, I had a feeling we were going to be here for a while, and Titan would have to have entertainment for the distant future if I needed him occupied.

By the time the fussy three-year-old began crying, Jet and Zuko were starting to get irritated.

"What's wrong with him?" Zuko asked, inching away from the child who pulled dead weight and decided to bury his face into the wooden floor and whine.

"He's cranky. I don't know why, considering he just ate." I was lucky his language was hardly understandable to people who haven't spent time with him too much.

Jet sighed, rubbing his head. "He probably wants to run around, he's been either sleeping or being cooped up next to you after all."

"He's just getting over a fever!" I sighed. It also helped that I don't want him far away from me. He could run around the boat and get into trouble or something and my paranoia would just give me a heart attack. I've been known for constantly yelling at my brother, I didn't want to bother people with that here.

Another ten minutes passed and the only progress made was Titan's lack of dead weight. I tried speaking to him, but he continued to lay face down as he kicked his feet every so often.

On the verge of smacking him for his stubbornness, Iroh finally held out a lending hand.

"May I?" he asked politely. Stunned from his softer tone of voice, I blinked twice before nodding my acceptance.

He reached over to grab Titan by his sides, and I winced once the boy began to struggle from the man's grip and kick his feet.

"Now, child," Iroh whispered. "There is no need to be upset,"

He continued to say soothing words as he cradled my cousin in his arms, beginning to rock him back and forth. To my astonishment, Titan's protests quieted at the old man's soothing voice and opted to just sit there and cry. I knew Iroh wouldn't do anything to hurt him, but my protective instincts had me reaching out to take my cousin back, though I froze once the former Fire Nation leader began to hum a familiar tune. He then began to sing:

_Leaves from the vine  
>Falling so slow<br>Like fragile tiny shells  
>Drifting in the foam<br>Little soldier boy  
>Come marching home<br>Brave soldier boy  
>Comes marching home<em>

Like magic. Iroh smiled softly down at the boy and rocked him back and forth, humming the next few verses as his fussing died. As I looked at the other two boys in our presence, they too seemed at piece with the song. Jet lay with one knee propped up, one arm behind his head and his free hand twiddling the strand of wheat between his fingers. Zuko leaned back against the wall of the boat, hunched over with one arm resting on his leg and the other one straightened out.

Before long, as Iroh's song blending into the background, Zuko turned to me, his gaze flickering from my face to my arm and back. "What happened to your arm?"

I shook myself out of my stupor, realizing that THE Zuko of the Fire Nation was actually initiating conversation with me. Sort of.

I must hold in my fangirlish squeal.

Looking down at my bandaged arm, I remembered that it had somehow burned with a long, clawed marking of a hand when I came here.

"Uh," I unwrapped it, realizing that the medicine used was probably worn out. The distinct red-pinkish lines contrasted darkly against my skin. It was still sensitive to my touch, but it was a lot better compared to how it looked before. That stuff works fast!

"A firebender . . . grabbed my arm I think." It was what Suki said, and I was going with it. Saying I had absolutely no idea where it came from didn't make any sense, and technically if Suki was sure it was from a firebender then I wasn't lying.

That seemed to trigger a response from him, and his face twisted into a flash of scorn before relaxing back into it's usual hardened stare.

"I'm sorry." he said. I shrugged it off, waving the hand of my scarred arm at him.

"Nothing to be sorry about, it was an accident." It was possible Titan had given it to me during our fall, and I sure wasn't going to blame him.

"_That_ isn't an accident." Jet snapped bitterly. I jumped, previously thinking he had fallen asleep.

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "How would you know?"

Jet shrugged, cautious of Zuko's temper and sat up on his elbows.

"You know, as soon as I met you two, I knew exactly who you were."

I froze, giving a quick glance to my firebender-cousin. Zuko also visibly tensed, but he had a better way of hiding it from someone who wasn't looking. If Iroh was paying attention to our conversation - and I knew he was - he didn't show it.

"You're outcasts, just like me." Jet finished, his face sharp. "And us outcasts have to stick together, because no one else will." he gave me a pointed look, reminding me of the conversations we had this morning.

_"...us war-survivors gotta stick together, you know?"_

The banished prince and I relaxed almost simultaneously. I almost forgot that one small slip and Jet would be on my trail. Luckily, there have been no incidents with Titan and his abilities.

Zuko stared straight ahead, out into the night and impending fog. "I've realized lately that being on your own isn't always the best path."

Taking back my resting three-year old, I rose an eyebrow and stretched to lay us down on our pillow.

"Well, I think it's best we all get to sleep. We should be in sight of the wall of Ba Sing Se by morning." I covered myself with my extra blanket and turned around, feeling the two males' eyes burn into my back.

I could only hope it wasn't pathetically obvious I was hiding things from them. But then again, so were they. They just didn't know that I knew what they were.

-x-

"Interesting."

"Aren't they always?"

"She has made contact with the Fire Nation prince."

"It took some coaxing -"

"- the girl really is stubborn -"

"- to defy our powers of fate."

"Undoubtedly this will lead her to the Avatar."

"It must be done."

"But what will she do once the time has come? The Guardian is not yet of age . . ."

"How can we be sure who the true Guardian is?"

"Our assumption may be wrong,"

"But the boy is the firebender,"

"And the girl is painfully ordinary."

"Yet, notice she bears the mark -"

"- the hand of the spirits -"

"-pulling her from -"

"- her world to ours."

"Let us watch, my brother's and sisters. For we may find more about -"

"- The Guardian of Fire."

". . ."

". . ."

"Don't interrupt me."


	4. Jet's Offer

AN: Not much to say here, but . . . thank you guys so much! This story is actually going a lot better than I thought it was. :)

_**Special Thanks To:**_

**Abby-Flourite:** I can't decide who my favorite character is in the series, but Zuko would have to be in my top three! Heehee

**Maegan224:** She's going to be staying with Zuko and Iroh sort of, you'll have to see :)

**Guest:** Aww :)

**Littlebirdd:** You really paid attention to the subtle clues I made in just three chapters! That's awesome! I won't confirm what is what so I don't reveal too many details, but you're really close! Hahaha

* * *

><p>-x-<p>

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 4: Jet's Offer**

-x-

* * *

><p>The loss of our third blanket came early that foggy morning when I awoke covered in flames. With a very unattractive squeal that sounded like a tortured seal, my legs flung and kicked the cloth off before I stood up and proceeded stomp the hell out of the demon fabric that tried to kill me.<p>

In those moments, my brain was able to process that other than Titan, who sat staring innocently at me and the blanket I was snuffing out, and Iroh, who snored loudly as he slept, we were alone. Jet and Zuko were no where to be found, thankfully. Smellerbee and Longshot either haven't returned from last night or left to find food.

"Titan!" I gasped, holding my heart to slow it down from my panic. "You need to stop doing that!"

He continued to sit there and stare blankly at me, as if wondering what he did wrong. Turning to ignore me, the child tilted his head down to his hands to play whatever game he chose from my cell.

Sneaky brat, woke up and took my phone!

I picked up the charred blanket and let out a long sigh. Luckily, I had two spare blankets in our bag, but still, this was such an unneccessary loss!

Letting out a last huff, I folded the blanket to rid the area of evidence (because how would I explain the burns?)

I kneeled to snatch the phone out of Titan's hands, who whined in protest, and pointed at him with it.

"No phone for you!"

His eyes teared up and I folded my arms and looked away.

"Nope, not gonna work on me! You lost the phone for burning a perfectly good blanket! You're grounded."

Titan shook his body before sitting there with a pout. He didn't cry unless he was really cranky, so at the moment he was giving me his signature silent treatment.

"Don't start," I scolded before rolling my eyes. I stuffed the pillow we used and the charred blanket into our bag, which had expanded due to the extra three dishes of food collected from the night before and was now beginning to overflow. I took out the single lavender bottle and put three drops into the palm of my hand.

Titan still had a fever, and after rubbing the oil behind his ears and on the bottom of his feet, I felt much better. I then looked down at my attire and grimaced. How did I look right now? I could imagine that my hair was tangled despite being braided and clipped up into a falling bun, and my clothes were less than appealing with grim, dirt, and sweat.

I would normally be very, very self-conscious about my lack of shower for the past two days, but then again, everyone else here were no better. Oh, how I miss my home with sanitary bathroom facilities and showers that were at my disposal.

_Ugh_.

-x-

At the moment, because we had finally departed the ferry-boat and were standing in line to get our passports checked (crap), I was still thinking about Titan and I's personal hygiene. I mean, seriously, how do Zuko, Jet, and even the Gaang not get all messy and dirty and just, _ew_, all the time? They were the same freaking clothes everywhere for goodness sakes! And it's not like they have access to showers every morning!

I have no idea how I'm going to find the Avatar in the big city of Ba Sing Se, but I was confident that things would work out. I had to be. It was the only thing keeping me together.

How am I going to get passed security? To get through the entrance that led to . . . wherever it led the other passengers, you had to get your passport stamped or something. The hidden fire-duo stood in front of us, with Titan holding my hand as he stood next to me. Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot were a ways behind us in line.

A sinking feeling dropped low in my stomach. What do I do? What do I do?

Iroh approached the pug-faced woman at the desk and handed her two passports. The woman gave them hard looks with squinted eyes.

"So, a mister Lee and mister . . . _muh-shi_."

Iroh held up a finger. "It's pronounced _moo-shi_," he said with a smile.

The woman scowled at him. "Are you tellin' me how to do my job?"

Iroh frowned and looked taken aback. I held back a snicker. "U-Uh, no! No! But may I just say you're like a flower in bloom!" He smiled flirtatiously with dramatized hand motions before clasping them together and bowing his head. "Your beauty is intoxicating."

Zuko openly gagged as he turned away from the two seniors. I couldn't help but giggle behind my hand as he blanched and smacked his forehead.

When Iroh finished speaking, he turned to his nephew with their passports before one was harshly snatched from his hands.

"I'm gonna forget I saw that," Zuko growled. Iroh continued to lead with a cheerful smile. I held my breath as the duo walked on and ducked my head. Carefully, obscuring the woman's view from myself and the child I held, I followed them off to the side, hoping to slip by her now dazed gaze. It was either pure luck, a push on my new ability, or the 'I just don't care anymore a guy flirted with me' struck woman who stamped the next passports without another glance that got me through. But it happened.

I let out the breath I was holding and hunched forward.

"Alrighty, Cuz. Looks like things are looking up today, don't you think?"

The three-year-old merely gave me a smile before demanding I carry him by blocking my path and holding out his arms.

"Brat," I muttered before giving in.

"Don't think I'm not still mad about this morning!"

I continued to follow them to a small seating area. I bit my lip.

"So . . ."

"Ah!"

"What exactly are we supposed to do now that we're here?"

Zuko spun around, his face flashed with surprise as if he didn't realize that I had been behind him this entire time.

"W-When did you get here!?" He stuttered.

Confused, I said, "I've stood behind you this entire time . . ."

"Impossible!" He gasped, gaining back his composure.

Iroh took a peek from behind Zuko and waved a hand at Titan before waving at me.

"Nina, it's great to see you again."

"Thank you! At least your uncle is polite. Um, I'm not really up to speed about what we're supposed to do from this point. Would you know?"

Before Zuko could protest, Iroh nodded and patted the seat next to him. Zuko rolled his eyes and groaned, probably annoyed that I was around. I felt bad, but I needed help and that was more important. Mister Angst could go brood somewhere else!

"All refugees are to take the Monorail," - what I recognized to be the earthbending subway-like thing - "down to a part of Ba Sing Se where we can all get on our feet. As we go through, our names will be taken with new passports and identity papers for our new lives. But of course, that isn't until we are also given complimentary apartments!"

"Whoa," I gasped. Now, that was really convenient. They didn't call this place the Paradise from the War for nothing, now did they? But did that mean I still needed a passport and other such paperwork to get new ones? Dang it, why can't things ever be easy?

"Get your hot tea here! Finest tea in Ba Sing Se!"

Iroh eagerly lifted his hand for the man's attention, his face eager like a child for free candy.

"Ooh! Jasmine please! Would you like some?" he asked me. I shook my head.

"No, thank you, I'm not a fan of tea." His eyes widened at me as he held his hand out for a cup.

"How could you not like _tea_?" His face looked like he was looking at a whole new side of life. I laughed, but I couldn't reply because Titan began tugging on my pants.

"I nee-a go potty!" he whined, jumping up and down. I rolled my eyes and picked him up.

"Alrighty, let's go."

-x-

Jet watched the scene at the front of the line with a smirk. Nina had slipped past that lady with no problem. He fiddled with the strand of wheat in his mouth. "Lee and Nina . . . I think they would make good Freedom Fighters."

"You don't know anything about them, Jet. Especially the boy." Smellerbee replied. Longshot tilted his head curiously at the girl who just walked by unnoticed by the pug-faced woman up front.

Jet shrugged, his eyes still looking after the two who disappeared behind the entrance of the wall. "I know he didn't get that scar from a waterbender."

"I thought we were going straight now?"

"We are!" Jet said quickly. "And the new Freedom Fighters could use a guy like Lee. And Nina. You saw what she just did there, right? What do you think, Longshot?"

Longshot gave him a simple glance.

Jet nodded in understanding. "I can respect that."

Smellerbee scoffed. "Are you sure it isn't because you have a crush on that girl? I haven't seen you so googly-eyed before."

Jet scowled, breaking the strand of wheat between his fingers. "Don't mistake me for a fool. I know talent when I see it. She may not even realize it yet, but that girl can slip by others without even getting a second glance. Even I wouldn't have met her if I didn't trip over her leg back at Full Moon Bay."

"Why do we have to get members for new Freedom Fighters? This is supposed to be our new beginning in Ba Sing Se." Smellerbee ignored his tone, used to the male's temper. Possibly because she was the only one who didn't buckle down at his demands like he expected others to do. She followed him of her own will, and will stop at her own will. It was why Jet respected her as one of his strongest members.

He shook his head. "And we are. But having people like Nina and Lee as allies could be a benefit. It'll take more than miracles to make a life in Ba Sing Se. If we all stuck together, we could live a pretty good life for each other."

Smellerbee folded her arms and scoffed. "Whatever you say. What do you think, Longshot?"

He gave a silent stare.

"Agreed." Smellerbee nodded.

Jet made his way to the girl first. Despite being the safe haven, Nina wouldn't last very long in Ba Sing Se without any help. It was obvious she was much too spoiled from surviving in the outside world. Her strange clothing suggested a foreign place that was probably located far from here, and her health and attitude showed slight naivety and inexperience.

It was amazing she managed to last this far from wherever she came from. The food gathering on the ferry was sort of a test, to see what she could offer in the field. With the right kind of training her skills could become more well-rounded.

When she left the uncle and nephew, he approached her. "Hey, Nina. Can I talk to you for a bit?"

She tried to hide her hesitance and glanced down at the kid. "Uh . . . suuuure. But could you help me find the bathroom facilities first? Titan can only hold out for so long . . ."

Jet rose an eyebrow. They were standing right next to the entrance.

"It's right here." he motioned to the wooden sign beside them, the words clearly stating _'Bathrooms'_. How odd.

"Oh!" her face flushed and she scurried over. "Okay, I'll be right back."

He followed and observed as she checked the room for any occupants. It was a single bathroom, and with some assurance for how the appliances worked she nodded at the boy who pushed her out of the room for privacy.

"What did you want to talk about?" Nina asked as the door closed. She bit her lip, and he didn't think she knew how her body unconsciously swayed to guard the door. Protective instincts. Good.

"I think you would have a better chance of making it in the city if we stick together. Do you want to join the Freedom Fighters?"

She looked taken a back, and he was surprised when her face flashed with offense.

"Join the Freedom Fighters?" she muttered, dazed.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm even going to ask Lee to help out too. I mean, think about all the refugees we could help here."

A few seconds of silence had Jet wondering. Her eyes were dazed and her breathing hitched - was she sick?

Shaking her head from side to side and seemed to snap back to reality. "Thanks but . . . honestly I won't be of any use . . ."

"Of course you will!" Jet assured. "You have a head on your shoulders and you were pretty good with the food gathering last night,"

She grimaced. "I literally have no fine skills what so over. I'm actually surprised I didn't end up getting you guys caught last night."

"But you didn't. Instead you used your smarts and trusted your instincts and even managed to get some extra blankets and stuff for everyone."

"Yeah, but-"

"If you worried about being able to do the stuff like Lee and I can do, it's no problem. I can help train you. I helped lots of kids in our old Freedom Fighter gang learn how to tone their skills."

Nina hesitated and shifted from one foot to the other. Her eyes glanced back to the door, as if worried something were wrong.

"I whine a lot," she blurted. "I argue with my mom about going to the gy - err, about exercising for just an hour a day, I'm lazy, I'm clumsy and I-"

"Don't go selling yourself short now," Jet said quickly, holding his hands out to steady her. She looked like she was about to hyperventilate. Though he slightly felt that she was just trying to dodge him and make excuses to set him up for rejecting the offer, he could tell that the meaning behind her words were truth. She really didn't have any confidence in her abilities at all.

"Sorry," she muttered. "As much as I would love to join and I really appreciate the offer . . . I will have to decline."

Jet shrugged. Pity, she has such great potential. "I understand, whatever you say." he turned to leave before turning back.

"You're not useless," he said. She looked surprised. "That's what you're making yourself out to be. But you have skill, Nina. You take great care of Tai, and you did a lot of good helping out last night. Just . . . don't keep thinking that you're not able to do anything, okay?"

She nodded mutely. Jet smiled and took out the strand of wheat from his lips. "Look us up if you ever change your mind."

-x-

It was disappointing that Nina rejected his offer, but he understood her discomfort. She had family here in Ba Sing Se, and probably wanted to get back to her normal life or whatever she had before separating from them. At least he had Lee as a back up, and after asking to speak with him while his uncle sipped his nice, hot tea from the leaf cup, he gave Lee his offer to join him and his friends.

But to his disappointment, the boy rejected him as well, claiming that Jet wouldn't want someone like him joining his group. How odd, to be rejected twice in one day. It put a small blow on his pride, and he wanted to insist that Lee was the perfect guy to join, but he stayed silent. He didn't want to push. Besides, Lee might change his mind after a while. And if he didn't, then oh well.

Things were to continue as normal as he made his way back to the group. That was what was on his mind. But something nagged at him, that familiar burn in his brain that warned him to beware, as if he were back in the forest some months back.

His eyes traveled until they found their way to the girl, Nina. She was wiping off the boy's face with a damp clean cloth, her brow furrowed and her mouth moving in a way that hinted at her scolding the three-year-old. The boy held out his hands with a small grin and jumped up and down excitedly . . .

And suddenly, right before Jet's very eyes, fire erupted from the child;s palms. He was holding a small, yellow flame in his hands.

Jet's eyes widened. Was it a trick of light? Was he just seeing things that were brought up from his past?

No. Nina's reaction was hectic as she quickly clamped the damp cloth over the boy's hands and began speaking in quick, hushed tones. She began wiping at the boy's palms furiously and looked around to make sure no one close by had witnessed the boy's abilities. Her eyes swept over his staring form.

Sudden anger overwhelmed Jet as his hands clenched into fists.

That _lying_ . . .she was a spy! She had to be! Why else would she be traveling with a _firebender_, and _hiding _it from everyone! What was she doing? Was she from the Fire Nation? Was she sent here to Ba Sing Se to train a firebending brat so that he could take the city down from inside the walls?

To use a child as a weapon - that was low. Did she even have family here in ba Sing Se? He knew that Nina was hiding something on the boat. Her uneven breathing as she spoke of home and they way she shifted uncomfortably as she told her story. Even Lee knew something was up, but they both decided not to push it on a silent agreement. After all, they all knew what it was like to have a troublesome past.

And the burns on her arms . . . it all made sense now! She obviously got them from that-that demon child!

He had to tell someone. He had to warn everyone - but wait. No one would ever suspect a young girl and the child she carried. It was all too innocent. Yes, it was so obvious! Such a delicate clever plan! And who knows, maybe there were more! There may have been other woman around here with children of their own that would grow up and train to take down the walls in a few years.

If he wasn't filled with so much surprise, with so much betrayal for even considering this person to become a Freedom Fighter, he would have enjoyed the thought that came into such a plan.

Jet turned his back on the girl and walked fast - but not too fast, he couldn't draw attention - to his two friends. He would need evidence of this diabolical plan.

Such a turn of events.

* * *

><p>AN: Uh-oh. Nina's in trouble now. So instead of catching Iroh with hot tea he previously exclaimed to be cold, he was speaking to Nina at the time and finds out her little secret. What to do, what to do?

I hope you guys enjoyed! I had fun writing from Jet's Point of View because as I watched the series, I seriously believe that he has some psychological problem. I mean, during his introductory episode, I think he seriously believed everything he said even though he made it up all in his head - from the old man he told Katara was an assassin to believing he was doing good by wiping out an entire town to save the forest, it was because he realized his problem that he got away from there to try and start a new life. But that's easier said then done, don't you think?

Anyways, review and tell me what you liked about this chap! What do you like about Nina? What don't you like about Nina? What do you suspect will be in the future with Titan who is still pretty much in his toddler years? Tell me! :)


	5. Ba Sing Se

_**Special Thanks To: **_

**True Thinker:** Lol I'm sorry for the long wait!

**LuzElvaParra17:** Titan takes some growing but I'll try to make his character more likable now that his fever is going down :)

**Maegan224:** Ooooh! I love theories! You are close, not that close, but close, heeheehee

* * *

><p>-x-<p>

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 5: **

-x-

* * *

><p>"Titan! Get back here!" I yelled as the small boy ran around Monorail. His fever was obviously brought down to a manageable level, and the little boy was his as-happy-as-he-can-get self. I always wonder if I could keep up his mood swings – one minute he's whiney and the next he's dandy and playful. But it was a nice change; after all, the entire time we've been here he hasn't had the chance to be happy.<p>

Now, on this strange teleportation that he had never seen before, he was excited and would hop on one of the long seats to look out the window. Occasionally I would follow him when he did this, since the windows weren't barred with glass and I would hold him by his waist. If I was lucky, he would wear himself out right now so he could be calm for later.

Ugh, how do parents do it? The child was driving me crazy after a few days in this world! I'm too young to be a mother, why is this happening to me?

I shook my head of the selfish thoughts and sat back with a long, drawn out sigh. Complaining wouldn't help my situation. I should just be grateful that I have Titan instead of his younger sister, Karin. She was still in diapers and her fondness of me was as bi-polar as Titan's attitude. One minute she didn't want me even looking at her and the next she would throw a fit if I wouldn't pick her up. She would be asking for her mother right about now, but Titan has slept over my apartment a few times, so he was comfortable with me instead of his parents.

He needed a bath as soon as possible too. Of course, so did I, but I didn't want him getting sick from any dirtiness. Our immune systems weren't built to withstand this world's type of survival, especially since there was a lack of modern medicine and other such cleaning technologies.

When Titan ran over to a small, fairly familiar family, a newborn child in their hands, I rushed over as he climbed next to them.

"Is that new baby?" he asked. To anyone who didn't spend time with children his age like I did, it would be hard to understand what he was saying because of the way he slurred his words together. It didn't help that although the boys in my family were smarter as they grew, their verbal skills were outmatched by the girl's. So the couple holding the sleeping child gave him a questioning look, wondering what he could be saying.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly as I shuffled over to grab him by the waist. "He just got over a fever and is running on a lot of pent up energy."

"It's fine," the mother said with a soft smile. Her voice was like honey and her brown eyes were large and inviting. I couldn't help but blush at the at-ease woman who leaned against the other friendly man next to her. She tilted the bundled newborn in her arms for Titan to get a closer look. I cautiously held him back at a distance so he didn't get to close. Even though he was mostly healed, I didn't want to risk his fever getting the baby sick.

"She like Kawin!" He said, pointing at the baby's button like nose.

I nodded. "Yeah, she's just like Karin." I laughed and turned to the mother. "What's her name?"

"Hope." She said proudly.

Hope . . . Hope . . .

Oh my stars, this was the family that the Gaang crossed the Serpent's Pass with!

GEE, WHAT ARE THE ODDS, EH?

"And yours?" she asked me. I didn't bother correcting her.

"Titan. He just turned three."

"Congratulations." She said.

"Don't mistake her for the mother, though," came a jolly laugh of an old man next to the couple. I blinked and leaned forward. Iroh sat with a big grin and waved at me.

"I made that mistake earlier, hahaha."

The mother giggled and nodded.

"Hey!" I greeted the man with an ironic laugh. "I didn't know you were on here." I nodded to the mother and carried Titan over to the other side of the couple. The Monorail came to a stop, and as a guard called for a certain number, the couple rose and parted.

As the earthbenders got it back moving, I sat back in my seat, comfortable to be near a familiar face.

"How are you, mister . . ." What was Iroh's cover name? "Mushi?"

He nodded with a hearty laugh. "Yes, it's wonderful to see another familiar face. Your little one seems to be doing better, I see."

I nodded. "Yeah. About time, he hasn't had the chance to run around for a long time. Now we can just . . . relax."

Iroh nodded in understanding. "He will grow into a strapping young boy, especially with a _fiery_ energy like that."

For a moment I froze, giving a surprised glance at Titan before glancing back at Iroh, who gave a teasing wink. I blinked quickly, my mind going through hundreds of assumptions that disappeared as soon as they came. He didn't know of Titan's firebending, did he? But how? There was that incident back at the port, when Titan excitedly held out his hands to show me the small flame he held in his palm. I snuffed it out quickly though, much to the boy's disappointment. No, it was too small for anyone to notice.

With another laugh that put me at ease, Iroh began chatting about what he would like to do once him and Zuko were given their new home, and what other homely things he plans to get for it. I felt at ease with the old man, only because I knew the nature of his character and what a kind soul he was in the series. But I was also cautious, because the man could be pretty scary if you pissed him off.

It was weird seeing characters from a cartoon in person. So far, they were nothing like the actors in the movie (and thank God for that!) but they were slightly off from the cartoon. Of course, they're proportionate bodies were more realistic, lacking that cartoon shine and exaggeration often portrayed on TV.

"Which part of the refugee district have you been given?" he asked curiously. As everyone boarded the Monorails, guards had gone up and down the aisles, counting the passengers on a clicker and coming back with small pieces of paper for our assigned districts. Upon reaching that district, we were to discard any passports and such and given new ones.

Honestly, I couldn't remember all that we were supposed to do from there, only because I was worried that it would be found out that I snuck on with a passport or any other travel papers of the like. So, if I was lucky, I would be able to wing this entire thing and follow what other people were doing.

Before I could pull the paper out of my pocket, I was interrupted by a shadow looming over me. "What are you doing here?" a gruff voice asked.

Zuko stood in front of me, his arms crossed and his face stern. I resisted the urge to recoil from his cold eyes and stared at him defiantly.

"Talking, obviously." I rolled my eyes.

"Are you stalking us?" he demanded.

Iroh waved a hand at him. "Now, now, Lee. That's no way to speak to a lady."

"Its fine," I assured.

"Che," Zuko scoffed and plopped on the other side of Iroh, scowling.

"Please forgive my nephew's rudeness, he has had a long journey."

I waved it off with a grin and pulled Titan to sit on the other side of my lap. To keep him occupied, I pulled out my cell and turned it on for him, making sure to turn down the volume so that it wouldn't attract attention.

He took it from me gratefully and turned his attention to the device.

"How old are you to be taking on such a responsibility for a child?" Iroh asked after a long, comfortable silence.

"It's not that much of a problem. I'm seventeen."

He rose an eyebrow. "Seventeen? Why, that's only a year older than my nephew!"

"Uncle," Zuko groaned. "Stop talking to her!" he said through grit teeth.

"Now, now," Iroh warned.

"You know I _can _hear you." I reminded, leaning forward for a better view of the grouchy teen.

He scoffed and ignored me and slid down in his seat. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the fire nation prince was pouting.

Instead of being put off by his attitude, I couldn't help but laugh. That seemed to make him even angrier and Iroh couldn't help but join me from our spout.

-x-

Unluckily, the fire nation duo were stopped off at section of the refugee district before mine, leaving Titan and I alone once again and my mind going crazy with alert. What do I do now? What am I _going_ to do? I can't possibly survive on my own here! Oh gosh, I should have taken Jet's offer, if only for a little while, he could have helped us. But considering this was a time with lesser things, it had to be a lot simpler than trying to survive out in my own world, right?

Two apples, half a canteen, and a lavender dab on Titan's warming forehead later, we met our stop. I won't go into detail about how we got into our apartment hours later, which consisted of me stealing some discarded papers and passports from a trashcan that the officers tossed lazily aside. They even gave a small pouch of money that I didn't have any knowledge about, and after looking through the map with their package of keys and money, we were there.

It was a small, run down resident with two rooms and a bathroom – first walking in, you were met with the small kitchen and dining area; the sink on the right and a small square table under the window up ahead. It also had some kind of stove appliance that I couldn't figure out how to work. To the left was a broken sliding door that led into an empty room with a supply closet. Inside the closet was a musty old blanket filled with holes and unusable.

"Well, home sweet home," I said as I walked in, carrying a sleeping Titan. I scrunched my nose at the smell and took the bag of our few belongings and set them on the small cot that sat under the window in the bedroom. I compared the second-floor apartment to that of Haruhi's from the anime _Ouran High School Host Club_. She was a poor character with a small house, though it was probably half bigger than this. It made me think that the living room was also going to be the bedroom, and the closet with two shelves on the left wall was to hold things like sleeping bags and blankets for nighttime.

Damn it, I cursed to myself as I let out a long breath of irritation. I was tired. My back was aching, my legs were sore, and as I set Titan down with a bit of a struggle, I felt like my body would collapse. The walk to the apartment was a long one, and by the time I had gotten here it was dark out. I wanted to collapse to the floor the moment my knees touched the ground, but reason wouldn't let me. I needed to inspect this place for any rodents and insects that could be harmful to Titan, and with one whiff of my scent, I knew I had to check out the bathroom.

To my luck, plumbing was more modern (like flushable toilets and running water) than I feared. When I turned the shower on, I checked the stream and with few adjustments of the knob my skin was met with warm water. Relief washed over me as I let out a happy yelp of victory.

"Yes! Warm water!" I pumped my fist in the air. At least something great has happened today! Stripping in seconds I hopped into the top, forgetting there's no curtain to avoid a mess and dunked my head under the water.

"Warm water~! Warm water~! Warm – GAAH! COLD! COLD! COLD! DAMN IT!"

-x-

Look at them, those fire nation spies. Jet observed as the girl, Nina, struggled to carry the sleeping firebending abomination up the stairs to the new apartment. He had been watching her for a while now, speaking to Lee and his uncle on the Monorail, to stealing the passports and travel papers at the office. How was it that she came to get away with these things? It should have been so obvious before that she wasn't like other normal people, what with her strange looking clothes and the odd way she speaks.

"Living right everyone's nose. It makes me sick how the fire nation is getting people like this to work for them."

"Jet," Smellerbee warned in her low husky voice, walking up behind him with Longshot. "I don't think this is a good idea. So what if you saw the kid firebending? What are we supposed to do, attack them? It's obvious the girl doesn't even know how to fight, not to mention Titan is only a little kid! What do you expect him to do? Take over a daycare?"

Jet scowled at his teammate before turning back to find Nina making her way inside the third apartment to the right on the second floor of the three-story building.

"Think about, Smellerbee. Why would the fire nation make refugees out of their own?"

"There is such thing as banishment."

"Yes, but the fire nation is ruthless. They would have kept the kid to train as one of their soldiers. He can firebend, having _that_ out in the wild wouldn't be such a smart idea, you see?" he sighed. "The fire nation has been trying to get into Ba Sing Se since the beginning of the war. This could be a way for them to bring it down from the inside. That _kid_ is going to grow older, and at the same time, stronger."

Smellerbee sighed and shared a glance with Longshot. "I thought we were starting over here? Changing our ways! Why do you have to worry about some conspiracy that – should I mention – you just made up in your head?"

Jet sighed. "We are. When I get the evidence I need, I'll report them to the police and let them handle it. I promise."

She rolled her eyes and rubbed her face, then her hair. After a silent conversation with Longshot through his expressions, Smellerbee folded her arms and leaned against the building.

"Have you ever considered the possibility that . . . they're actually refugees? I mean, it's weird that a girl and her cousin would get separated from family and she would automatically assume that they would come to Ba Sing Se. She could be lying. Titan might actually be her own kid."

Jet's face hardened and he spun to face his teammate with a glare. "She wouldn't lie about that. There's no reason to!"

Smellerbee stood her ground, unphased, and crossed her arms. "Unless, of course, the kid's father was a firebender."

"That's not true!"

"Jet, think clearly about this," she said, holding out a hand. "Let's say, Nina had some kind of a relationship with a soldier. Or a one-time fling, even. She finds out she's having a kid, and ends up leaving because of the strong possibility it'll be a firebender or something. She could be running _for_ the kid. I mean, what if someone found out and took him away? Have you ever thought about that?"

Jet huffed and turned. "You don't know what you're talking about. It's ridiculous!"

"Hey, it makes a lot more sense than your conspiracy. If you report her to the police, you could be ruining the lives of innocent people."

Jet left himself to scorn for a moment. Smellerbee could very well be right. Would it be possible that he would be doing more damage than good?

He thought back to Nina's strange behavior, and the way she would instinctually move around Titan as he did. It was very possible she had lied, she did act like the child's mother more than a cousin would. Thinking about it made him feel . . . odd. At war with himself.

The thought brought flashes back to his own childhood, the way it was ruined and what this war has done the lives of billions. He could still hear the screams of his parents echo in his ears, and his heart clenched. Why did he feel so betrayed by this revelation? How could someone like Nina get . . . Get _involved_ by the bastards with any relation to the fire nation?

A hand on his shoulder brought him out of his trance. Longshot turned him slightly in concern.

"If that's true," Jet said lightly, his fists clenched. "Then, that . . . that doesn't change a thing! I don't care how she came about her situation. Because anyone who would give themselves to the will of a _firebender_ is the enemy! And you two, my only friends, of all people should know it!"

-x-

"This is much harder than I predicted . . ."

"Keeping her along the path of the fire nation prince –"

"- but she just won't comply . . ."

"They keep getting separated . . ."

"And that other boy is worrisome too . . ."

"Worry not, my spirits. We have much more to do here,"

"Yes, we just have to push her in the right direction,"

"A little nudge,"

"Or a giant leap,"

"It matters not, despite her efforts,"

"She cannot—"

"Avoid—"

"The banished Prince—"

"Forever."

* * *

><p>AN: Yo! :) Sorry the chapter came out later than usual, I've been busy. Nothing much happened here, other than Nina having to deal with this new life, and keeping a child under wraps, lol. Now what's going to happen?

I hope this hasn't been too boring, I just want to get passed Nina's problems with coming to this foreign world, hopefully we'll have some more fun action later (Next chap maybe? Heeheehee)

Please review and tell me what you think! What should I change? What should I avoid? The like :)


	6. Long Days

AN: Trying to get back into the habit of writing long ! :) Sorry for the long wait for an update, I keep thinking this fic is kinda dull and boring the readers. I'll try to spice it up, kk? I tried to just finish it and get it over with because I want to get to Zuko and Nina next chap, so sorry about that too .

_**Special Thanks To:**_

**Moka-girl:** Sorry for the long wait! My updates depend on my writing mood - it can disappear just as quickly as it comes and I get stuck wondering how to write certain scenes. But when feel like I'm on a roll, I update my stories like crazy!

**Guest**

**True Thinker**

**bassoongirl14**

**LuzElvaParra17**

**MetroNeko**

**Kat Hoskinson: **I try to keep up my spelling and grammar if only because I know how it feels to read a good story that lacks such things, lol but I do miss every now again, just tell me what and I'll fix it ASAP :)

**Guest**

* * *

><p>-x-<p>

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 6: Long Day**

-x-

* * *

><p>"Sorry, darlin'. I don't have anythin' for you to do 'round here."<p>

"Really? Not even cleaning or—"

The man gave me a stern look and I immediately backed down. "All righty, then. Thank you."

I backed out of the shop with Titan on my back and sighed. Twenty-three times a charm, right? Ugh.

After a day and a half of my time here in Ba Sing Se, it had come to my attention that I was in desperate need of money for food, because the small pouch of coins I was given wasn't nearly enough to last even a week. Titan and I had to devour the last of our warm meals from the ferry ride the first night because we had no fridge to store it safely. And even then, we ended up wasting a lot more than we should have. I managed to find some extra clothes in the small closet of our home, if you could even call it that. There was just a long black dress robe that looked like a giant puddle of fabric. After some difficulty I discovered how to put it on right. Through a broken mirror in the bathroom I found it made me look like someone from a secret society, what with it hanging down to the floor like a long dress and the sleeves were big around my arms – I had to push them up constantly to keep my hands free.

The only thing I liked about it was the hood, and the way the fabric didn't feel heavy or hot.

. . . And then after two minutes I realized I had no idea who wore this thing and then proceeded to strip it off faster than I could say 'DAMN IT!'

There was also a large pair of pants and a shirt possibly meant for a teenager, and after thoroughly cleaning the clothing as best I could with boiled water and vinegar, they hung out to dry and I gave Titan his own bath.

Around noon, my panic set in. I spent a good half an hour hyperventilating and pacing around the apartment biting my nails, wondering what I was to do next.

How do I find the Avatar?

_Where_ would I find the Avatar?!

How the hell do I get home!?

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WHEN MY THREE YEAR OLD REALIZES HE HASN'T SEEN HIS PARENTS IN THREE OR FOUR DAYS?

Of all the things that could happen to me! How long have I been away from home!?

I had to try really hard not to throw up the contents of my stomach, especially since we are so low on food as it is. Yuck.

Finally mustering up my courage to leave the apartment, I changed into the freshly cleaned clothes (along with clumsily cutting the pants and shirt to fit Titan's smaller size) and we left the apartment early the next morning. And after another hour of debating with myself whether it was a good idea to go up to each stall and shop and see if they are in need of help for a job, I finally shoved down my anxiety and stepped through the first door.

By my luck, the first man was happy to try to help out, needing someone to run a night shift because his last worker left for a bigger opportunity. However, I couldn't read, which was a requirement with what he needed, and so that option was slashed.

That was my biggest problem in this world. Everyone spoke English, but wrote in some other Asian language!

Stupid anime-wannabe show creators!

WHY?

The next shop didn't need anything, another one chased me out while calling me a beggar (as revenge, I stole a bag of his shop's grapes with no guilt at all), and a few more were put off by the fact that I was hauling a child around.

By stall number fifteen I had come to the realization that this was life. When I did go home I would have face similar situations. And this was my first time every _applying_ for a job of any kind. In another world. Amazing.

Do the fates hate me?

By attempt twenty I was dead tired. My legs were sore from carrying Titan on my back and he was getting incredibly cranky from lack of food. As we finished off the grapes, sitting in a small alley, I tried to think. It was possible I could continue stealing food, but I always had to keep Titan with me and I couldn't possibly carry him and run away fast enough if I got caught. What did Iroh and Zuko do in these situations?

I vaguely remember an episode where they were both struggling to make it on their own after becoming refugees, but Zuko had a talent for stealing as the Blue Spirit and Iroh had a hard time getting money by street performing.

-x-

"What wrong, Nina?" Titan asked as he climbed into his cousin's lap. The older girl was acting very strange for a long time now, like running around and taking him from building to building without buying anything. She didn't play with him when he was getting bored, and even as he began to pull off his pouty face she wouldn't carry him when he was tired of walking.

And they were eating nothing but fruit and some strange rice stuff that made his mouth all sticky. When he asked for cereal once, she told him they didn't have any, which was weird, because he always ate cereal when he went over to her house.

Titan couldn't begin to understand what was going on, but he knew one thing - he could play with fire.

He remembered watching this show all the time with his daddy. They would sit in the living room with his other sisters and they would all watch _Airbender_ - or so he thought it was called - on the big screen. He remembered playing games with his older sister, and they would pretend to fight and use the special fire and water powers.

But now that they were in this strange place, he could really make fire magic! Nina didn't seem too happy about it though, and so, when she wasn't looking, he would clap his hands together and try to make the fire appear. This fire didn't burn him like his birthday candles almost did, instead it felt really warm and comfortable.

If Titan was able to place the word he felt in his tiny three-year-old brain, he would say it made him feel _safe_. It was such a good fire, not a bad fire.

"Nina?" He called her again. She was crying. She was trying to hide it, just like his older sister Merida did when she got in trouble, but he knew. But why was she crying? She wasn't in trouble, was she?

Titan didn't know. But he knew he wanted to make her feel better. He set a hand on her cheek and used his sleeve to wipes her tears. "Is okay," he said. "Is gonna be okay."

She sniffed and wiped her nose. smiling slightly, Nina wrapped her arms around his tiny body and pulled him close.

"We're gonna get home, Titan. Okay?"

He nodded, not sure what she meant by that. He didn't want to go home just yet, he liked staying with Nina. He'll fight his mommy if she tries to sit him in his car seat!

Now he just needed to give her something. Grown-ups always got happy when he gave them presents (even though Nina always said she was _not_ a grown-up). Looking around from his place in her lap, he reached for a small, cylinder cup that was white with blue designs on it. It was a little broken, with the ridges chipped like a triangle, but it was pretty! And girls liked pretty things, right?

"Pretty!" He said, handing it to her.

"Oh, Titan don't pick up garbage on the . . . ground." She took the cup, the small thing fitting in both palms of her hands, and tilted her head. She blinked at it a couple of times before a smile broke out on her face.

"Oh, baby, you're a genius!" She exclaimed before pulling him into a hug and giving him kisses all over his cheeks. Titan giggled and swatted her face away as she continued to laugh.

See? She did get happy with his presents!

-x-

I was nervous. I'll admit, I've done shows in front of live audience's before, dancing at Luau's and talent shows when I was younger, but it's been years. And my confidence and lack of stage fright had lowered and grown with age. I've never done anything like singing to other people before, and I wasn't all that confident in my voice when I tried to impress.

So I took the cup and tossed it from one hand to the other, trying to push down my anxiety. Looking at Titan, exhausted and dirty from the day's work, inspired me to push back any feeling of foolishness and suck it up. Iroh and Zuko were also a partial inspiration for this. Iroh did a little street performance to earn a few coins singing _It's a Long Way to Ba Sing Se._ Of course, Zuko ended up creating the Blue Spirit as a thief because that didn't work out so well.

But I couldn't let that stop me. You can do it Nina! I told myself, over and over. Just imagine this world being mere cartoon characters. Yeah! That'll work.

Maybe.

At the edge of the alley, where a decent number of people passed by, I sat on the ground with a rectangular piece of cardboard I found, and set the cup upside down.

_Take a deep breath. Clear your throat. Don't want to croak. Think of the time you played this with your mom and uncle on the dining room table at home. Just sing with a beat, don't try too hard._

_The Cup Song_ was a basic hand-clapping song recently brought back in popularity by Anna Kendrick in the movie _Pitch Perfect_. It took me one afternoon to figure out how to work the hand movements: Clap two times, drum the cup three times, clap again, and so on. Titan was familiar with the concept of the game, having watched his older sister Merida and two other cousins play after I taught them for fun.

So I started, redoing the sequence two times more than necessary because I feared I'd mess up and fling the pottery away. As I did so, Titan perked up and began clapping, giggling at the familiar game. The extra time gained some passersby, who stopped to watch out of curiosity. Obviously, this song wasn't known in the Avatar world, so to them this entire sequence could have been original.

And slowly, one by one people would leave a coin or two in my small money pouch as I sang to the beat slowly at first, and after a few seconds picked up the pace with my confidence. I didn't look at them, unless someone stopped by to donate, and then I smiled gratefully.

To my luck, Titan and I managed to collect a small pile of coins - mostly bronze, which I figured where the lowest paying price. But I was lucky. We left the alley and went on to shop for some food we could afford.

As Titan rode on my shoulders, I pumped my fist into the air and gave out a loud laugh. "Yes!"

-x-

Jet peered around an abandoned building, watching as Nina happily turned the corner while chatting ecstatically to the kid. How can they be so . . . so _normal_? He grit his teeth and clenched his fists. This was probably going to be a lot harder than he intended.

He had to find proof that the kid was a firebender. In front of the Ba Sing Se officers. But how?

The first attempt didn't go so well.

It probably wasn't the smartest, but he meant to keep it controlled. He set the front door of a small shop on fire, an officer trapped in with the two suspects to witness. No escape - she would have to get the kid to firebend their way out of there!

Until the ground moved beneath their feet and dirt was raining from the sky in seconds; the fire gone, the residents safe, and Nina walked out like she didn't even notice what had happened. The kid was laughing, playing with a toy on a string.

"Ugh." Jett facepalmed. A lot of officers were Earthbenders . . . how could he be so stupid to forget?

The second attempt was close. Titan had run off as Nina overpaid for a small bag of food and in a series of events he didn't wish to relive, Jet found himself soaking wet from a bucket of water a second-floor resident dumped on him. At least, he hoped it was water.

He was _really_ starting to get annoyed.

-x-

"I think we need a break, what do you think, babe?" I asked aloud. Ignoring me because he got a hold of my phone, Titan merely poked at the screen, slicing the flying fruits in the game.

"Yeah, I think we need a break."

I held my hand out for the phone, signaling him to give it. With a stomp of his foot and a loud whine, the child reluctently handed it over and I pocketed the device. He folded his arms and walked ahead.

I really wanted to get to what I called 'homebase' (if only because our assigned apartment wasn't exactly 'home'). My feet were throbbing and I had to keep myself from complaining about my shoulders. After spending most of the hours of my day on my laptop at my real home to walking four who knows how long and carrying a thirty-pound boy, the day was starting to take it's toll.

A yelp and cry had me defensive, turning to find Titan soaking and rubbing his eyes. I quickly picked him up, using the extra fabric of my clothes to help dry him up.

"What's the big idea?" I yelled through the small window of the building that had caused such trouble.

"My apologies!" Came a familiar voice from inside. To my surprise, Iroh managed to pop his head out the small opening, giving an apologetic smile. I was taken aback, my mood changed and the day's hardships nearly evaporated at the sight of him.

Should I be so happy to see a man with the nickname 'Dragon of the West'?

At the moment, yes, yes I am.

-x-

"About time!"

"This is taking longer than we have anticipated."

"The girl is too distracted."

"She is running on instincts, my friend. Her first priority is to protect the child and think of nothing else."

"_Humans_,"

"Don't scoff, brother. You did help in their making."

"Don't remind me."

"Hush, now. We have helped set her in the prince's path."

"She doesn't seem to concerned to get involved with him or the Dragon of the West."

"They are searching for the Avatar, if that puts you at ease."

"Everyone's searching for the Avatar. Your argument does not help matters. I say we force the Guardian into the right care!"

"Have faith -"

"He is much too young to have any such influence on our plea for help!"

"Perhaps the Fates have given us exactly what we needed, just not in the way we expect."

"I pray you are right."


	7. Pleasant Company

AN: Another long wait, I know! It's every authors excuse and a pattern I seem to see when I read completed stories in their notes. On the bright side, I finished _Bones_ on netflix, so I won't have that distraction anymore, hahaha

_**Special Thanks To:**_

**NilaStar13**

**Moka-girl**

**Guest**

**Dark is Walkin' the Green Mile**

**dival123 (Chapters 3, 4, 6)**

**Aurora blossom**

**iluvfairytale**

**Gibbles**

**LurkingLady**

**Ocelot-queen**

**Himeno Kazehito**

* * *

><p>-x-<p>

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 7: Pleasant Company**

-x-

* * *

><p>"So what have you been up to since we last met?" Iroh asked as he led us inside.<p>

"Looking for a job, mostly . . . Are you sure this is okay?" I gulped, looking at the two banished firebender's apartment. I set Titan down and massaged my arms that were released from his weight.

"Uncle," Zuko hissed, roughly pushing past me.

"Now, Lee," Iroh warned. I nearly smacked myself, having forgotten that their names were different again. Good thing I haven't slipped up.

Iroh turned to me with a smile. "Forgive my nephew, I'm still trying to work on his manners," he said with a pointed look at Zuko. He scowled in return and took his place on the small couch, facing away from us.

Their apartment was basically like ours, but not as beat up, and the paint on the walls didn't chip. I actually felt at ease with the better enviroment. Titan ran to the two windows and pointed out into the night.

"Look, Nina! Look!" he shouted excitedly.

"Yeah, pretty, huh?" I humored him as he laughed.

I stood awkwardly as Iroh made his way to the cupboard in the kitchen-like place (I didn't know how to describe the area, exactly,) and took out a small bag.

"I will lend you some clothes for the accident earlier today. They were here when we moved in and I think they are more suited for the child's size. You relax while I make some tea, I wouldn't want him to catch a cold because of me."

He gave a hearty laugh and made his way to the tea kettle. I nodded mutely, my words of thank you getting lost in my throat as I nervously sat at the far edge of the couch by Zuko's feet. After changing Titan out of the damp clothing that smelt like watery perfume now, I set him on my lap and waited patiently.

"Th-Thank you, for your help, by the way," I managed to sputter out, my nervousness coming back. How do I act? What do I do? Ugh, this is too awkward!

I mean, I'm literally sitting with fire nation royalty from cartoons! I don't think I'm ever going to get over this. I've concentrated on Titan so much I almost forgot.

"It's no problem," said Iroh. "I shouldn't have been so careless as to dump a pot out the window without checking first. It was only fortunate that the tea was cold. Lee, would you like a pot of tea?"

The teenager finally flipped over and grunted. "We've been working in a tea shop all day! I'm sick of tea!"

"Sick of tea?" Iroh gasped, as if such words put together were a cursed chanting. "That's like being sick of breathing!"

I didn't know what to do as he fuddled around, looking through the cupboards for something as he mumbled to himself, something like, 'you do what you can to raise a boy' and 'where did I go wrong?'

"Have you seen our spark rocks to heat up the water?"

"We haven't been here all day! How should I know?"

Iroh huffed. "No need to get snappy, now. I'll be right back,"

I giggled, catching the attention of Zuko who gave me a weird look. Clearing my throat, I turned with a shaky smile.

"So . . ." I started awkwardly. "How have you been?"

Zuko folded his arms and shrugged. After a second with no answer, I nodded, as if he had spoken.

"Good, good. How interesting."

". . ."

"Yeah, I thought about buying that too, but I thought it looked a little big."

". . . Who are you talking to?"

"Oh, now you speak."

He rose an eyebrow as I decided to finally relax and sit back. Titan yawned and fiddled with the rubber bands on my wrists.

Another second of awkwardness passed before I cleared my throat. "Um, how exactly do the spark rocks work?"

"The spark rocks?" Zuko asked, giving me another weird look.

"Yeah." I said, diverting my eyes, immediately regretting the question. How embarrassing, he's looking at me as if I didn't know the basics of walking. "I never used them before, so I was wondering where you'd get them."

"It's not all that complicated," he said finally, noticing my embarrassment. "How could you not know how to use spark rocks?"

I shrugged, trying not to squirm under his narrowed gaze. "I, uh, I came from a place where we turn a knob and a gas lights a fire to use, so . . ." Damn it, I can't even form coherent words to explain my technology. Come on, Nina! Stop being stupid!

"I'm spoiled," I finished, as if pointing out that I came from a better world than his was the best explanation.

"Oh," was all he said.

Another awkward silence.

"I figured Jet would teach you if you had any questions about the refugee life, then."

"Jet?" I wondered why he would bring that guy up.

"You know, the guy on the boat? He mentioned to me that he asked you to join his . . . _Freedom Fighters_ or something?"

"Oh, that!" I nodded, understanding. "He did ask, but I had to turn him down."

"Why?"

"They couldn't handle someone as awesome as me," I joked. He didn't seem to get it. "Why didn't you? He told me he was going to ask you to join him too."

Zuko lifted himself to sit properly and looked away. "I wasn't interested." he said.

Without anything else to talk about, we sat in silence for another minute before Iroh came back, a big smile on his face.

"I borrowed our neighbor's. Such kind people!" He said. I watched as Iroh clapped the green rocks together and a spark instantly lit the dry leaves and wood under the tea pot. Titan gasped, his mouth agape as he watched the flames and began tugging on my shirt.

"Nina! Did you see that? Did you see that?" He reached out his hands, as if to copy the movements of the fire and I immediately clasped my hands over his. A small flame had formed between his palms before I snuffed it out.

My head snapped in all directions, and to my luck Zuko was looking away, uninterested, and Iroh was preoccupied with making the tea.

"Are you all right?" The old man glanced back.

"Fine!" I said, quickly thinking of a lie for my sudden anxiousness. "I just, I never learned how to make tea, so I'm a bit fascinated." Good, Nina. Good.

"Never learned to make tea!?" His eyes went wide, as if he couldn't believe such a thing. "That's like never learning to walk! Come, come. I will show you."

"No, uncle, I don't think she really wants to -" Zuko started before being shushed by his uncle.

"Really?" I asked, wide-eyed as I set Titan down and stood next to him.

"Yes. You see, making tea, is an _art_!"

Zuko groaned, and I could hear a small thump as his head fell back on the couch again.

"Heh, heh, he's funny!" Titan laughed.

An hour passed quickly as Iroh taught me how to make tea the 'correct' way, also giving me examples of how it's usually done wrong and will thus, "taste like leaf-flavored water". It somehow came up in the conversation about my day, looking for a job and how my biggest problem involved not being able to read.

I don't know how that geared to me agreeing to let him teach me, but I had insisted that I pay him for the trouble. He wouldn't let me, saying that it was his duty to help. I decided not to argue, since I couldn't exactly turn down the opportunity to get money for food to take care of Titan.

And as we sat and conversed comfortably, Zuko suddenly shouted, "What the -!"

I twisted to see Titan crawling over the banished prince and couldn't help but cover my mouth to muffle my laughter. He tried in vain to detach the child from his shoulder, only for Titan to flip around his arm and crawl on to his back.

"He's like a baby hog monkey!" Zuko gasped, holding out Titan at arm's length as the boy reached for his hair. "Get off!"

"'Ugo! 'Ugo!" Titan giggled.

"What is he calling me?"

Nearly spitting out the only tea I think I enjoyed, I rushed over to pick Titan out of Zuko's arms.

"Sorry," I said quickly. "He's not usually this open with people he's not familiar with."

"He's calling me 'Ugo'." Zuko narrowed his eyes, as if Titan had found some secret he shouldn't have.

Titan twirled in my arms, his head hanging upside-down as he showed his two crooked front teeth in a grin.

"He's saying 'Hugo'" I lied, lifting him up right. "You . . . kinda look like our cousin Hugo, so that's why he's calling you that."

Zuko twisted his mouth into a grimace and laid back. "Hmm."

"That reminds me!" Iroh clapped his hands, gaining our attention. "How is your search for your family going?"

_Almost forgot about that,_ I gulped. "Uh . . . Well, Ba Sing Se is a lot bigger than I thought it would be. But once I get the hang of everything, we'll begin our search shortly, I suppose." Gosh, lying this smoothly reminded me of my made-up excuses for not doing my homework at school.

"Gah! Tai!"

Titan managed to escape my grasp, finding his way on to Zuko's shoulders and pulling at his hair.

"Ahh-tar! Ahh-tar!"

_Avatar! Avatar!_

I had to consider myself lucky that Titan's speech wasn't as well-developed for normal kids these days. Otherwise, I'd have a lot of questions on my hands.

Fan-freaking-tastic.

-x-

**Zuko**

It was hard pretending that it was normal for someone to be so casual with him and his uncle. Although they had they're awkward silences, Uncle Iroh always managed to bring something up and tell a story to the girl to make her more comfortable. And after a minute, Zuko began to relax himself, his body previously tense at the unfamiliar feeling of pleasant company. Of course, pleasant was slightly pushing it, when at one point he unintentionally insulted Nina and she just stared at him for a long three seconds and stuck her tongue out at him.

In summary, he found this girl to be . . . _weird_. And he's met a lot of weird people, having traveled the world maybe twice over since his mission to capture the Avatar. His . . . old . . . mission.

But he was still suspicious. She moved carefully around the two, her eyes darting to the younger boy every time he spoke in that babble talk Zuko could barely understand. She kept him away from the fire by the tea, but for some reason Zuko felt that it wasn't only the child's safety she sought. It was an all too familiar look on her face every time she prevented Titan - or, Tai, as she so called him by his nickname - to go near there. Fear, and secrecy.

And then Zuko's eyes found their way to her arm, where the faint pink burn curled around her arm, as if someone had grabbed her while their hands were on fire.

_"It was probably an accident,"_ he remembered her saying. Zuko didn't put much thought into it on the ferry-boat, figuring that after that he would never see her again and so what would be the point? But now he had to wonder . . .

"You seem very interested in her," Iroh says, snapping the angsty teen out of his stupor. The two observed as Nina wiped the mouth of the boy who, after attempting to drink from her cup, spilled some tea on his shirt.

"What?"

"I was just thinking, perhaps, while we make a new life here, you could make some friends."

"What are you talking about?" Zuko whispered through clenched teeth.

The old man shrugged, a slight smile edging ont he corner of his lips as he stepped back.

"Well, I think we should get going. Thank you for having us over and teaching me how to make at least a decent tea," Nina held up Titan, who rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"It is no problem," Iroh says with a jolly grin. "It was a pleasure to have your company. Please allow my nephew to walk you home!"

"_What_!?" The two teens shouted/questioned in unison.

"It's very late, you don't expect me to just let you walk out on your own at this time, do you?"

"O-Oh, that's really not necessary"

"Zuko," Iroh urged, pushing the boy.

"Uncle!" Zuko hissed. Iroh gave a stern look, a large contrast from his usual happy one that was concealed from Nina as she started to starter for not wishing to cause any trouble.

Zuko huffed, resigned to do as he was told as he stalked passed Nina and out the door. "Let's go."

"Oh-uh, thank you again!" Nina rushed out just before the door shut. Laughing quietly to himself, Iroh sat down at the small round table and took a sip of his tea.

-x-

It was a long walk from the one district to the other, and for a moment Nina wondered just how she managed to get so far away without collapsing from exhaustion earlier in the day.

"How far away do you live?" Zuko sighed, stopping for a moment to adjust Titan from slipping off his back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize we were this far. Honestly, I can make it from here, you don't have to tell your uncle." She rubbed her head. Although she said this, Zuko could tell that she really didn't want him to leave. Even the night lamps weren't enough to push the shadows of the night far enough for comfort.

But Zuko said nothing, instead just continuing to walk. He didn't know how he got roped into carrying Titan and then having the child fall asleep on him, of all things. Maybe it was because Nina just looked completely exhausted, with the way she rubbed the soreness of her shoulders and her slow pace from her feet finally taking the toll of its day.

"You came this far out just to look for a job?" He finally asked.

"Girl's gotta eat," Nina said, shrugging. "It doesn't help that I have to lug Titan around with me, and that I can't read."

Zuko rose an eyebrow. "You can't read?"

She gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her had again before starting to braid her hair. "Yeah . . ."

"Huh," that was unexpected. From all the refugees he met, he recognized that most of them could read, even if only a little. For a girl who seemed to be brought up in a good family life, that was the last thing he would have expected. No wonder she couldn't find anywhere to work.

There was a long silence, and he didn't realize how much time had passed before she finally looked up at him again. "So . . . what's your story?"

"My story?"

"Yeah. I mean, what led you to the wonders of Ba Sing Se?" It felt like a conversation to break the silence, and it was the only thing she could come up with. Zuko was perfectly fine with the silence, not wishing to divulge much in conversation with the girl if he could help it.

"I don't have one," he said. After a moment, he thought, what the heck? and backtracked. "My uncle played some weird game with an old friend and got informed of the ferry boats for refugees here."

"Ah. Cool." She said,a s if not knowing what to say to that.

_Keep the conversation going_, he could practically hear his uncle say.

Silence. Too much silence even for his liking.

"Wish I could burn that place to the ground," Nina said suddenly. Zuko nearly tripped, tightening his hold of the child on his back as he regained his footing.

"What?"

"That shop over there," Nina pointed to the vacant stall, its windows blacked out and doors locked for the night. "the owner chased us out with a broom when I asked for a job. _Rude_."

She didn't seem to upset about it, even smiling a little. "It's okay, I stole a bag of grapes on my way out anyway."

"A bag of grapes?" Zuko asked, abashed. "That's it?"

She gave him a look as if she didn't know what was wrong and held out her hands. "It was all I was able to grab!"

He couldn't help it. A rough laugh bubbled out of his mouth beyond his control and he attempted to regain his composure.

"What's so funny?" she asked, earnestly confused. Zuko cleared his throat and shook his head.

"Sorry, nothing."

Nina's mouth twisted, annoyed, as she folded her arms. "I've never done things like this before, and Tai was hungry!"

"You really are from a different world," Zuko shook his head again.

She froze for a second, but before he could ask what's wrong, she continued on.

"Speaking of _burns_," she started, and this time, Zuko froze mid step. She paused to look back at him, her face in wonder as she looked him in the eyes.

Was she going to ask about his scar? It wouldn't be the first time someone asked about it, what with everything going on. Even Jet made sure to let him know it was there. Annoying.

But to his surprise, "you never told me how those spark rocks worked."

"What?" he's been saying that a lot today.

"The spark rocks," she continued as they went on walking. "Do you really just knock the two things together and it lights a fire?"

"Huh? Yeah, pretty much."

She nodded, tapping her chin as she mumbled to herself. "Such common knowledge for making a fire, that's what I get for sleeping through science . . ."

"Fire," Zuko repeated. His eyes drifted towards the scar on her arm.

"You said it was an accident,"

She followed the trail of his eyes and unconsciously rubbed the area on her arm. "Oh, well, yeah."

"What makes you think it was an accident?"

Nina shrugged, looking at the burn as if she never took the chance to look at it closely before. "I don't know. I just kinda woke up with it, you know?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" they began descending a flight of stairs. They had reached the apartment building.

"As in, one minute it wasn't there, and the next minute it was. It had to have been an accident, since I wasn't injured anywhere else."

He snorted. "You really are naïve,"

"Firebenders are people too, you know!" They stopped in front of her apartment door, and she opened it with little difficulty before taking Titan into her arms.

Clearing her throat, she smiled and Zuko averted his gaze. "I'm going now," he says.

Something warm touched his cheek, the one with his scar, and half a second passed before he realized Nina just kissed him.

His body flung back as he held his cheek, eyes wide from the unexpected action.

"Wh-Wha-!"

As she pulled back, she was still smiling.

"Thank you for taking us home safely!"

As soon as the last syllable left her mouth, the door slammed shut and Zuko stood there, blinking dumbfounded at the door.

After setting Titan on the cot that apparently passed as their bed, Nina held her ear to the door, waiting patiently until Zuko's footsteps slowly faded into the distance. As soon as she deemed it safe, her hands formed a triangle, cover her nose and mouth as she sunk down to the floor.

_I just kissed Zuko . . ._ she thought. Her cheeks burned as she ran over the impulsive action through her mind over and over. The look on his face; the way his cheeks also seemed to redden as he realized what she just did.

She couldn't suppress her fangirling squeal.

"Oh, stars, I really have gone crazy!" because not in a million years would she have ever done that back home!

-x-

"At last, she's making progress."

"We still have a long way to go."

"I don't understand, is this turning into a teen drama?"

"I've warned you about spending time in the Center World."

"Gah!"

"Everything is going according to plan."

"Shh, the girl is sleeping-"

"- she can hear us!"

* * *

><p>AN: I'll admit, I had fun writing a bit from Zuko's POV, lol

I'm glad to be back! Please review and tell me what you think :)


	8. Fire

AN: Three POV's today, because I love writing in the boy's POV and I'm wondering why I didn't just write this story from 3rd POV in the first place. Oh well, it's fun, hahaha.

_**Special thanks to everyone who reviewed there were so many I love you all but to save time so I can post the chapter I just give a shout out to everyone here! I love you all and it's your reviews that keep this story up! You guys are awesome and you all get free internet cookies? hahaha!**_

* * *

><p>-x-<p>

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 8: Fire**

-x-

* * *

><p><strong>Jet<strong>

Jet took Nina's absence as a chance to search her apartment - did she know the supervisor put her in a cheap room that was over priced? Possibly a con to the 'new residents' that even his own supervisor tried to pull. Of course, Jet and his friends knew better, threatening to tell the Dai Lee if they weren't given their appropriate living space. But Nina, who's facade of not knowing, well, anything, had kept her here with the child.

If the little monster wasn't a firebender, Jet would have told Nina this upon his discovery. Of course, he wouldn't have discovered it if he wasn't snooping through her things - how little those things may be. He realized after a quick search in the largest room that Nina didn't own much, also finding her strange clothing hanging to dry over the shower-rod. Nothing suspicious, and no evidence for him to take to the police.

Annoying.

But if Jet was known for anything, it was his stubbornness. He remembered Smellerbee muttering this once he told them what he was doing. Meanwhile, his two friends decided to look for food to bring home, and jobs for themselves.

Stalking Nina and Tai through the market later that day, curious by her acts of innocence she kept up for hours, a small accident resulting in a pot of cold tea dumped out the window led the girl straight to Lee. Jet grit his teeth. If only he could warn his fellow of the danger this girl was. But he couldn't approach them, not when the old man foolishly led her into their home with a jolly old smile. He, like everyone else who had met the firebending duo, were fooled easily by this girl.

In a way, Jet was slightly disappointed that Lee hadn't caught on to her act. That she was harboring a firebending child that would destroy their new lives in seconds.

Jet was smart, however. He slipped in and out of Lee's apartment, spark rocks in hand, and stealthily hid in the abandoned building directly across.

"Thank you, for your help, by the way," Nina said, following behind the old man as they came through the door. A genuine smile graced her lips. So perfectly placed as her eyes widened with wonder as she took in their home. Jet snorted. Of course she would be amazed, compared to her place Lee's home must have looked like a paradise.

The old man waved her off. "It's no problem, I shouldn't have been so careless as to dump a pot out the window without checking first. It was only fortunate that the tea was cold. Lee, would you like a pot of tea?"

Lee made himself comfortable on the couch and flipped onto his side. "We've been working all day! I'm sick of tea!"

Nina sat at the edge of the couch, just out of reach of the other boy's feet. She held Titan to her as if he were going to fly away. Of course she would. Wouldn't want the untrained beast to blow their cover, now wouldn't they?

"Sick of tea?" gasped the old man. "That's like being sick of breathing!" In a moment he disappeared from the window's view.

"Have you seen our spark rocks to heat up the water?"

Jet glanced down at the rocks in his palm, clenching them after a moment and jumped down.

As the old man - mister, er . . . _Mushi_, Jet remembered - came out of the apartment, Jet leaned of the corner of the hall to make his presence known.

Mushi saw him immediately. "You're the young man from the ferry ride."

Jet frowned, tossing the spark rocks casually in his hand.

Mushi blinked, confused for a moment, "Are those my-"

"I needed to speak with you, mister Mushi." Jet straightened to both feet, letting his hands fall to his side.

"I don't understand why you couldn't have just knocked on our door to speak. Come inside and I can make us some -"

"No," Jet said quickly, decreasing the distance between them with a few long strides. "I can't. Not with," - he looked pointedly at the door and lowered his voice - "not with _her_ with you."

Mushi was silent for a moment, before leaning his head forward suspiciously. "Young man, I advise you to explain yourself. Quickly, might I add."

"That girl is not who she says she is," Jet began, his tone hard and eyes cold. It was very different to the warm expression Mushi was used to seeing on the boy, like on the boat. "She's from the fire nation, and that kid of hers is a firebender."

Mushi was suddenly angry, and for a moment Jet thought it was because the old man was being deceived. But with the narrowed eyes Jet knew could only be for him, Mushi took a threatening step forward.

"I advise you not to spout such accusations."

"It's true! I saw it with my own eyes. That kid is a _firebender_!" It took all of his will not to shout, instead keeping his voice low enough for the old man to hear him. "I've tried to find evidence for the police, following them all day, but she is good enough to cover her tracks. Maybe you, or Lee, could help me and if you don't believe me I could show you-"

"Are you telling me you've been stalking this poor girl . . . All day?" he asked darkly.

Jet stiffened. "The fire nation has breached these walls, taking up the act as a poor refuge. But I know better. Who knows how many other have managed to get through, waiting out their time to destroy Ba Sing Se from the inside out-"

"You tread carefully, boy." Mushi snapped. "This nonsense will get you in deep trouble. To accuse a young girl - and her child! No less . . ."

"You don't believe me." It wasn't a question.

"Even if I did," the old man says, decreasing the space between them and looking up at him with anger deep in his eyes. "than you have no right to go around stalking and threatening her. Ba Sing Se is a city for peace and refuge. You listen to me and you listen to me well, boy. I will not hear of you bothering them again."

"You're being fooled by her act, old man." Jet spat. "Any member of the fire nation needs to be put down before they can bring any harm to innocent people. I've warned you. when she reveals who she really is, you'll see."

And before the old man could say another word, the boy spat out a bitter curse and turned on his heel.

-x-

**Nina**

Well, this is life. And I'm just gonna have to get freaking used to it. For now.

I give myself another three days before I strangle someone.

I woke up with Titan curled in the cot, half his body digging under me because apparently the large area of space on the other half of the bed wasn't enough. I found myself, woken just before dawn, pushed to the edge of the bed. This brat.

All week it's been like this, and I didn't know if I was ever going to get used to it. Is this what life with children was going to be like?

Ugh.

Not once did he ever ask for his parents, which worried me a little, but at the same time I wasn't entirely surprised. After spending the day or even the night at my apartment, even with his sisters, he hated going home, and would cry like it was the end of the world when he had to. He would pull the 'deaf act', or pull dead weight, and his dad would yell at him to get in the car and he would cry some more, but reluctantly get himself in his car seat.

He's probably gotten so used to being with me by now, that when we do actually get home, he'll probably be mad that he won't be living with me anymore. But I put those thoughts aside for now. I'm not in the mood to have any anxiety attacks about the future. Or possible future things that could go wrong.

Like the fact that I'm in a cartoon, and there's going to be a strict timeline of events coming up.

Though how long that will be, I'm not sure. Rawr.

Iroh tried to keep on his promise for teaching me how to read, and for three days out of this week he's been patiently helping me. Of course, he and Zuko had a job at the tea shop that was quickly becoming popular, and I was busy trying to keep food in Titan's stomach and getting us more than the clothes we had now.

And then there was the incident with the supervisor. He came barging on the door of 'home base' (the closest thing I could call this place to home) and demanded payment for the months rent. Which confused me, because I could've sworn that the first month was free according to the worker lady that got us this place in the first place. Luckily, my knight in shining armor came to my rescue: Zuko just happened to be rounding the corner when I was beginning to question why I had to pay rent.

Red-faced and frightened out of his wits when Zuko confronted him, narrow-eyed and menacing looking while holding a brown paper bag in his arms, the supervisor stuttered out apologies for his 'mistake' and ran faster than I had ever seen a short fat man run before.

Okay, that was mean. But I have every right to be.

"Hi." I greeted with a grin.

"Hi." he greeted back, almost robotically.

We stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, him, staring down at me as if he were refusing to back down from a challenge, and me, giving him an amused smile and trying not to fangirl over the fact that I am speaking to THE Zuko, the fire nation prince.

Yup. I'm still not over it.

I don't think I ever will be.

(Swoons)

He held out the brown paper bag and upon taking it I simply blinked at the amount of groceries inside.

"My uncle insisted that you have food to last you for a little bit," Zuko cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact. My stars, he's so adorable and awkward around people! Especially girls that he's _attempting_ to be nice to!

I nearly squealed. _Whoa, down girl._

"Thank you," I laughed. Motioning for him to come inside, I set the bag on the tiny round table and began to put things in the cupboards. I was surprised at how much managed to fill the empty cabinets.

I turned to find Zuko examining the room, and though I was slightly embarrassed at its rundown-state, I convinced myself that there was nothing I could do about it.

"Okay, this is unacceptable." He said after a minute.

"I know, I'm sorry it's a mess, we've just been . . . busy."

He turned to find Titan still curled up and sleeping in the cot.

"No, that's not what I mean." His lips tightened into a thin line, and turned to glare at me.

"Your supervisor is over charging you. Or at least, he will be." When the month is over, I assume he meant.

"What?" I blinked, surprised. "He is?"

He shook his head and turned. "How can you be so naive and trusting? It's a wonder you've survived this far!"

"Well _excuse_ me!" I snapped back, letting attitude seep into my tone. "But I think considering my circumstances I've been doing just fine!"

He scoffed. "You're about to get swindled out of what little money you have left. Not only do you have a hard time reading, but you don't even have the basics of _money_?"

I opened my mouth to retaliate, then shut it when he had a point. Damn it.

"Oh give me a break, mister tall, dark, and scruffy! Unlike you, I don't have a cute baby face that just begs people for tips!"

He blinked back at me, abashed. "I do _not_ have a cute baby face! And how do you know what kind of tips I get at the tea shop?"

"I was there just yesterday!"

"No you weren't!"

"I said hi to you. Remember? Your uncle was actually starting on the basics of money for his break! And then Titan broke a cup so I had to leave . . ."

"You weren't at the tea shop yesterday!"

"Uh, yes, I was. You were ignoring me and using your baby face to get the girls to tip you more."

"I do not have a baby face!"

"Oh, you're adorable!"

His face was beginning to turn an interesting shade of light red now, and I couldn't help but stick out my chest in pride.

I was getting Zuko to argue with me like a child.

Heehee.

I am such a nerd.

Of course, the moment was broken by the stirring of Titan, who began crying because he was hungry and wanted cereal. Something we didn't have, and he was tired of grapes.

Zuko shook his head angrily and rubbed his face, then his hair. "Just, get the kid and let's go. My uncle wants to speak with you."

I held my ground, determined to stay defiant. "You're not the boss of me!"

He growled and ruffled his hair with both hands. "Errgh! You're so frustrating, woman!"

"And you're such an angsty-brat, _boy_!"

-x-

**Zuko**

If Zuko was anyone else, he would have strangled something. Or someone. As they continued their long trek down the district, with Nina trying to calm down the hyper three-year-old who found fascination in, well, _everything_, Zuko hung back and simply observed. No one ever snapped at him like she did; unafraid and not bothering to step on egg shells around his icy stare. What was with her and her odd . . . ways? She used phrases that he had never heard before, and had an accent that made her voice slightly flat and yet exotic at the same time.

He noticed during the couple's last visit (at home, not the tea shop since he didn't realize they even came to the tea shop) that they finally got some normal clothes; although she continued to wear those gem-stone fashioned pants - jeans, she called them, and shoes. Her torso was decorated with Earth Kingdom styled dress, just ending past her waist. Her dark red hair contrasted against the green almost painfully, twirled into a side pony tail. The boy, on the other hand, wore tanned pants and a green and brown tunic. Zuko recognized it as the outfit they had given her during their first visit.

The boy spoke in some kind of babble that Nina understood and she scolded him for being whiny. Zuko rubbed his ears. Thank the spirits that he didn't have tiny brats to take care of.

Of course, that thought came back to bite him when they arrived and not even ten minutes into the lesson on money, Nina had a hard time keeping the boy still.

"Thank you so much for your time, but I think Titan is a little to rowdy today. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Nonsense! The quicker you learn the better!" his uncle laughed, and suddenly Zuko felt his stomach drop. He wouldn't . . . would he?

"Lee, my good-natured nephew!" Iroh called and Zuko groaned. Why? Why? "Could you take little Tai out for a walk? I'm sure he just needs to let out that energy. There's a small park just a few blocks from here."

"No way!"

"That won't be necessary!"

Their voices overlapped each other.

"I am not a babysitter!" Zuko growled. "I don't know anything about taking care of kids."

"Well then," Iroh started, stopping Nina from saying anything. "I guess this will be a good time to learn."

And the next thing Zuko knew, he was out the door with child in hand.

"This city is cursed. I know it."

Because problems started when they moved here.

Actually, scratch that, problems started when _she _got here.

-x-

It was official. Zuko knew absolutely nothing about children.

_"Stop!"_

_"Slow down!"_

_"What are you SAYING?"_

_"No, no, no-put that down!"_

_"Kid!"_

_"UGH!"_

_"I AM NEVER HAVING CHILDREN!"_

Zuko took a moment to catch his breath; almost allowing himself to collapse to the ground just as Titan's giggles echoed around him. It felt like hours, but by the position of the sun since the two had left the apartment that morning, Zuko figured it wasn't even that long.

Zuko, son of the Fire Lord, banished or not - Zuko, who had been through hell and back searching the world twice over for the Avatar - Zuko, with the stamina and fighting skills of a deadly weapon, was meeting his match in a three-year-old.

A three-year-old.

How the mighty have fallen.

Letting out an annoyed groan, Zuko dragged his feet to a nearby tree that gave off the darkest shadows and fell straight on his back. "How did I get stuck like this?" he muttered to himself. Another giggle nearby nearly gave him an aneurism. _He's back_.

Zuko never found the park, instead deciding to find some less-populated areas of the district to keep a better eye on the hyper three-year old. After gathering up some fruits to feed them both (a big reminder Nina had told him before their departure) and three quick potty breaks (Two of which he was sure was unnecessary, considering the child didn't take but three seconds to go), he was already exhausted.

This child must only be shy and cranky around people he wasn't familiar with, because apparently Titan had seen Zuko enough times to become an energy-filled chatter box. He spoke in a bunch of gibberish Zuko had a hard time understanding, and for a moment he wondered if the boy had a speech impediment or a hearing problem to speak like that.

"Titan? Tai!" Zuko called, not sure which name the kid responded to best. He refused to budge from his spot, but his highly trained ears could still hear the squish of the child's feet through the grass and more gibberish bubble from his mouth. The small spot of sun slipping through the shade on Zuko's head was soon blocked, and Zuko opened his eyes to find Titan hovering over him on his hands.

"*I-wanna-pay-wee-me." he said. Zuko rose an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I-wanna-pay-wee-me."

He shook his head. "How does that girl understand anything you say?"

The boy shrugged, though Zuko wasn't sure if that was a mere response to a question or a response because Titan understood what the question met.

Running a hand through his hair, Zuko sighed. "I might as well guess what you're saying. Do you want something to eat?"

Titan shook his head 'no'.

"Do you want something to _drink_?"

Again, no. Irritated, Titan repeated his request and Zuko snapped forward.

"Oh, c'mon! I can't understand you kid! Speak *English!"

"Do you want to play a game or something?"

That was it! Titan nodded eagerly. Zuko scratched his cheek, looking up in question. "I don't know any kid games."

A handful of grass was tossed in his face. Zuko coughed. "Hey!"

"Pssshhh!" Titan giggled. "I may fire!" he repeated the action, this tiny holding both hands together with his fingers spread out.

I make fire? "Oh. _Oh_." Zuko caught on. "You're . . . pretending to play with fire?"

"I made fire." Titan repeated with a high-pitched giggle.

_Would it be wise to play this game with him here?_ Zuko wondered. Then he wondered the harm. It was just pretend.

Reluctantly, Zuko got to his feet and faced Titan with his hands out, as if pretending to thrust fire from his hands. "Uh, I got you?"

Titan ducked, 'missing' the fire and ran behind the tree. More gibberish flowed from his mouth as he made throwing motions.

Throwing fire balls? Okay. Whatever could wear the kid out. He sighed and not too dramatically dodged around the tree trunk. He peaked around the base to find that Titan had run off to another hiding place.

_Great._

The simmering heat by his ear made Zuko's heart jump. His instincts sprung into action and alarms rang in his head. _They're being attacked_. With a grunt, Zuko flipped to the side, then whipped his body around in a defensive position. _Someone knows who I am!_

But to his surprise, there was Titan, looking at his hands in pure awe; his baby teeth glinting from his smile. Zuko momentarily let down his guard. His eyes darted around anxiously, and with a speed that he normally didn't allow himself to use after coming to Ba Sing Se, he scooped Titan into his arms and darted into a deserted alley.

_That had to be my imagination, right?_ Zuko looked at the child again, who clapped his hands and pulled at the collar of his shirt to shove his palms into Zuko's face.

"I did it! Look, I did it!" the boy chanted.

No. Impossible. It must have been his imagination. Pretending to be firebenders just brought back memories . . .

He gazed down at Titan again. The child continued to be happy with himself, and after demanding to be put down to run around, Zuko cautiously let him loose.

It wasn't his imagination. Titan just spat fire at him, and was excited about it. Zuko could remember the first time he could firebend - he wasn't as young as Azula was, but it was a complete accident and happened just when his father started to think he didn't have the 'natural talent' for it. This kid, he was _trying_ to fire bend. It wasn't a pretend game he was trying to play! He knew what he could do (though maybe the consequences were something he didn't know about) and was happy about it!

Did that mean he's done it before? It doesn't make any sense! Why would he and Nina be here -

Nina . . .

Zuko gave a sharp intake of breath. Nina.

Why was she here, with a child who could firebend? Was she unaware of of his abilities? Now that Zuko thought about it, he didn't know anything about this girl. He was right to be suspicious. Every time he or his uncle asked her about her personal life she would always be vague or dodge the question fluidly.

Zuko didn't have all the answers yet, but he would find out. But first and foremost, he needed to be sure, be absolutely _positive_ that this seemingly harmless girl was not hiding anything - at least, not hiding anything like _this_.

It could be a mistake, Zuko told himself, but he knew he was wrong.

Grabbing Titan (much to the boy's protests) Zuko ran down the street until he was in a more deserted, deeper part of the district. He needed to be somewhere no one could catch them.

An old warehouse south of his new home, Zuko found the perfect place. Titan whined when they arrived, demanding to be put down with the kick of his legs.

"Okay! Okay!" Zuko breathed, checking around the residence to make sure others weren't nearby. He was in the clear.

Zuko picked the child up from the back collar of his shirt before he could run past and set him down in front of him. He then kneeled and narrowed his golden eyes.

"Kid," He held out his hand and fire erupted from his palm. Titan stared at him in awe. "I need you to show me this. Can you do this?"

Just as he began to wonder if the three-year old could understand what he was saying, Titan held out his hand and let out a determined huff. His fist clenched, his eyes focused intensely on his fingers.

Right before Zuko's very eyes, Titan's hands were engulfed with flames just like his own.

* * *

><p>AN: This was not supposed to be as long as it was (because more was supposed to happen in this chapter) but, eh, I wanted to update and it's been a while.

I'm sorry if my writing seems choppy in this chapter. I was kind of rushing through it just to get it done.

**On a note for Titan's language**: I'm sure some out there would argue that his talking is a little too baby-like even for his age. I know. I just finished a story writing about a four year old and she can speak clearly give a few grammar lessons. But Nina has stated in the first chapter - and several times after - that the boy's in her family are pretty smart and mentally developed, but their speech develops slower than the girls. Titan is based off my own three year old cousin who speaks exactly like this. I'm hoping to give him more speaking parts in upcoming chapters.

*"I-wanna-pay-wee-me." - "I want you to play with me."

* "Speak English!" Because they haven't stated the language otherwise (aside from the writing and reading) the primary language is English.

I hope you enjoyed! :)


	9. Truth

AN: I really tried to write Jet like a reasonable human being but the more I tried to fix this chapter the more crazy he seemed in my head. I like Jet. But Nina? Not so much... huh, I guess this is what it feels like to have differing opinions based on the experiences of your fictional character...

_**Special Thanks To:**_

**inindescribable music**

**anima**

**Nomurai**

**Himeno Kazehito**

**Redleafs16**

**Sabie0521**

**dream lighting**

**Fireandwater**

**Aurora Blossom**

**Jdstd13**

**Emma**

**Demi-wolf3T**

**XLucyInTheSkyX**

**Guest**

**Kyoki no Megumi **(Sorry for the misspell! Thank you for pointing it out :)

**True Thinker**

**Bad Wolf Baybe**

**Sister of the Crimson Dragon**

**RandomCitizen**

**Silimaira**

**Perlos97**

**thefrozenstrawberry**

**LurkingLady**

**Blackenflames**

**Goldspark**

**Mari**

**Guest 2**

**animagirl**

* * *

><p>-x-<p>

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 9: Truth**

-x-

* * *

><p><strong>Nina<strong>

_"Ugh, it happened again!"_ _I groaned, plopping myself down on the couch of the living room. Aunt Bree wrapped her daughter, Mérida, in a towel before digging through the baby bag for her clothes._

_"What happened again?" she asked._

_I huffed and crossed my arms. "At the pool! I was swimming with Karin while she was in her floaty and a random lady come up to me and as all like, 'Your baby is so beautiful! She is so precious how old is she?' and I'm like, 'Uhh, a little over a year old. Thank you?' and she points up at Uncle Sikes and asks, 'Is that your husband too?'"_

_"Haha! She thought Karin was yours?" Aunty Bree laughed as she pulled the shirt over Merida's head._

_Mérida made a face. "That's silly!"_

_I nodded, dragging my towel through my dripping hair. "Why do people keep thinking that I'm a mom? I mean, just last week the cashier at the gas station thought I was my dad's wife! Do I really look that old? I'm seventeen!"_

_"I think it might be because you have that . . . that aura around you. You have the mommy aura, Syrina."_

_"'Mommy aura?" Mérida hopped on to my lap once she was dressed and gave me the comb for her hair. "I have a _mommy aura_?"_

_Aunt Bee laughed again, sitting back as she packed up the diaper bag with clothes. "You're the oldest of seventeen cousins, not to mention you take care of your brother because your parents are working all day too." Shrugging, she zipped up her bag and stood. "I'll be right back I have to get Tai's clothes out of the car."_

_Sighing, I finished braiding Merida's hair and handed her the comb. "All done. You wanted it like Elsa, right?"_

_She nodded._

_"What do you think, Mer? Do you think I look like a mommy?"_

_She squinted her nose with a shake of her head. "Nooo!"_

_"I don't, right?"_

_The four-year-old tilted her head, thinking for a few seconds. And just when I thought she forgot what the question was, she said, "I don't think you look like a _mommy_. You look like . . . hmm . . . something else."_

_"What do I look like then?"_

_"Our guardian."_

_I rose an eyebrow, "That's a big word. Where'd you learn that from?"_

-x-

"I'm sorry, I don't get it at all!" I groaned, dropping my head on the table. "All your letters and words and symbols look the same, what the heck!"

"Oh, don't worry," Iroh chuckled, tapping the scroll with the quill. "It has only been two days, it's understandable that you still have trouble with it."

"Mister Mushi, you have customers!"

"Oh, coming!"

"I'm sorry, you're using your break on helping me with this whole reading thing."

"I assure you, it is no problem at all!"

He took the empty platter he set on the table and shuffled his feet to the front desk, a line of customers waiting patiently waved as he slipped by them.

"This is the best tea in the city!" I heard someone exclaim. An earthbending guard? Oh, I don't know anymore about these people. My brain felt like it was turning to mush just being here, more and more from stress. I need to relax.

But looking after Titan was my first priority, and before we could do anything to find our way home we had to struggle to survive as we are now. Ba Sing Se was huge - and I say this lightly. Why couldn't finding the Gaang be easier? Why did Titan have to get stuck here with me?

"Now, now," I told myself, almost mentally mimicking Iroh's voice in my head. "You have a responsibility to your family. Complaining will get you nowhere."

Speaking of Titan . . .

"Tai?" I suddenly stood straight, my head darting in every direction for his black hoodie around the tea shop.

"Right here!" A gruff voice called out. Zuko held the boy in his arms, who kicked and giggled as he clung to Zuko's neck. A bubble of laughter escaped my lips before I controlled myself and attempted to wipe the smile off my face. It didn't work.

Zuko. Holding Titan as he clung to him like a little bear.

It was just too cute, oh my God.

I'm starting to think my creepy crush on the cartoon character is getting to me . . .

The tea shop was relatively quiet save Titan's giggles and I quickly shushed him as Zuko handed him to me.

"Thanks," I rubbed my head, pushing down an embarrassed blush. I need to stop acting like this around Zuko, it's actually starting to freak me out. I don't even act like this around guys in _my_ world. Pull it together, Nina!

"Hmph." Zuko grunted before setting down a fresh cup of tea on my table. Despite my distaste for the beverage, Titan seemed to love it. Zuko turned away from me quickly and started to leave to serve other customers.

I couldn't shake the feeling that he was angry at me for some reason. He's barely spoken to me since last night. He came home just before Iroh decided I needed night's rest from learning the new language.

_"How was the walk?" Iroh asked as I pulled Titan's hoodie over his head._

_"Fine." Zuko snapped. I glanced at him curiously, only to find him scowling in my direction._

_"Umm, I think we better go. Tai needs some sleep."_

Not one to take the attitude - especially from _him_ of all people, I set Titan in his seat and stalked after the tea server.

"Hey!" I called out. I instinctively grabbed his shoulder to get him to stop walking and his hand snatched my wrist, squeezing it tightly before he shoved me off.

"What?" he snapped.

"What is your problem?" I hissed. "You've been acting like a jerkface since last night! Did I do something to piss you off?"

His glare burned, his golden eyes scanning as if he were searching for every secret I held within me. Grabbing my arm, he looked around the surrounding tables, the customers peering at us curiously, before pulling me foreword.

"Not here." he said lowly. I pushed down my instinctive urge snatch my arm back; however, knowing his character, Zuko had to have a good reason.

I glanced back at Titan, who sipped happily at his tea and pretended to draw pictures on the wooden table with his fingers. He'd be fine . . .

When Zuko pushed out the back door, I started getting worried, and something dropped into the pit of my stomach.

"Okay, _ow_. You are _hurting me_!" I hissed, stumbling outside behind him. My body slammed into the wall and Zuko's arm struck out like a viper beside my head.

Oookay. Okay, okay, okay, okay! I gulped, shrinking at his closeness.

Not to sound petty, but my imagination ran wild for a good two seconds in this position. It was the entirely rough and cliché stance in anime and manga and I briefly imagined Zuko declaring his love for me and we would make-out passionately as he held me against the wall.

A very big stretch, I know, but it was only for those two seconds before I realized that this indeed was _not_ some cliché romance manga/anime and Zuko was actually angry. _Very _angry. My mind immediately went on the defense, taking in my chances of running away and taking note of the lump in my back pocket from my pocket knife.

I knew I didn't stand a chance against him. I no longer thought of this boy as a character from a cartoon series, I thought of him as a person who could actually, physically _hurt_ me. Memories of his fight scenes, both as the Banished Prince searching for his honor and the Blue Spirit breaking the law ran through my mind. I did my best not to collapse to the floor at this thought, the fear rocking up my spine.

Keeping my face as calm and collected as I could (A wonderful feat that I would later pride myself with), I managed to compose my fear and stand up straight.

"Look, whatever game your playing, it ends now." he said.

"What?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" He said through grit teeth. "I know about your little secret with the kid."

"S-Secret?" I tried to draw out the possibilities of the question; if I were to misunderstand by what he meant secret, this could create a bigger mess than it already is.

"He's a firebender."

Oh. _Oh_. Okay, maybe this is no misunderstanding.

I didn't bother trying to deny it. For one, there was no point, and for another, I was confident he wouldn't turn me in to the authorities. That wasn't his character.

"When you took him out, he showed you . . . didn't he?" That was it. Whether Titan could comprehend what I say or not, whether he understands why or not, I needed to speak with Titan about showing people the 'pretty flames' he can create with his bare hands. I could only feel lucky that this was Zuko and not anyone else.

He seemed to relax at my sudden calm in composure. "I wasn't sure at first, but then I-"

At his abrupt pause my eyes darted up and his face turned away. How was he going to finish that sentence? His expression was distant, as if he too were holding back a secret of his own. That he too is a firebender and somehow, that was how he knew for sure about Titan.

"How?" he asked suddenly, reverting his eyes back to me. "The only way to have the ability to bend is through family blood. I know you're not a bender, we-_they_ don't burn so easily." he took my arm and pushed back my sleeves; the burn on my skin was still sensitive and pink, but otherwise bearable to move around.

This was _so_ not the time to start fangirling over the fact that Zuko is _holding my arm_.

Before I could answer, a loud crash shook me from his grip. A scream had us both running inside and my heart jumped into my throat. A few tables from the shop were turned over, with broken glass - the source of the crashing sound - littering the floor. Titan's teacup lay on it's side, the tea spilling out between the floor boards.

"Titan!" I gasped. Standing at the shop entrance was Jet: pulling Titan by the collar of his tunic with one hand, and his other hand holding a - oh, you have got to be _kidding_ me! There is a _blade_ at my baby's _throat_!

Whether it was stupidity or bravery, I don't know. My body reacted impulsively and I lunged. The scream that escaped my throat was unrecognizable and my heart pounded loudly in my ears. A sharp pressure squeezed around my stomach - who dared hold me back? I can take this fucker! My legs kicked as my hands slid under the fingers clasped over my stomach, intending to bend them back and break them off.

_I can take him! I can get Titan back! Let me go! Let me go! _

The instincts that were drilled into my head from birth kicked into overdrive. In my family, we protect our own. And we continue protecting our own until our dying breath. I knew very well that I couldn't take Jet down with my rusty and very bad fighting skills, but I knew for a fact that I would get a few good slashes into his pretty-boy face before he took me down.

A low voice halted my pathetic flailing. "Stop." Zuko's hot breath brushed against my ear, his growling, alpha tone freezing my entire body in one swift word. My eyes remained wide and horror-stricken because all I could think of was _my baby is in trouble. My baby is in trouble!_

"Jet! What the _hell _are you doing!?" Why, oh, why is my voice so _weak_?

"This demon child is a firebender!" He shouted, announcing this to the tea shop as if he hadn't noticed or heard me - maybe my voice wasn't as loud as I thought.

"Oh, come on!" I squeaked. How the hell did _he_ find out!?

Titan, not liking that he's being roughly handled by a stranger started to cry. More alarms began ringing in my ears; even more so as Zuko started pulling me back and shoving me into the kitchen.

"Let go of me!" I shouted before Zuko shoved his hand over my mouth. My weak flailing was no match for his iron grip.

"Shush!" He growled between clenched teeth. Everything was going so fast, my head spinning. Zuko was having absolutely no nonsense. He backed me into the counter.

"You are going to tell me the truth and you will tell me the truth now! Is Titan your kid, yes or no? Do not lie to me or I will not help you!"

Without missing a beat I shook my head.

"Did you steal him away from his family?"

Again I shook my head, the motion making me dizzy.

He looked in my grief-stricken eyes for a moment before releasing me. He was finally believing me. "Okay." He turned, and once I took a step to follow him he whipped around and pushed me back against the counter.

"Stay here." He growled before storming out.

My legs couldn't take it. The moment he slammed through the doors my legs gave out beneath me and I struggled to find my breathing.

What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?

It took everything I had not to disobey Zuko's order, though I'm sure my jelly-for-legs were of no use to me now.

Could I really trust him to help me?

My immediate sense of trust in him was too worrisome for me to answer clearly.

-x-

**Zuko**

It took everything within his instinct to remain calm, to not blindly give in to the red rage clouding his vision.

"I saw this kid firebending at the station!"

Two officers, whom Zuko recognized to be regulars at the shop, stood up slowly from their seats.

_This could get ugly_, Zuko thought. He had to be cautious; jumping in right away could be harmful to the kid. But then again, if he didn't do something soon, the officers could make a wrong move.

"Put the sword down nice and easy." One of them said. "Let the kid go. We can talk this through."

"Don't come any closer!" Jet warned, backing away while dragging Titan with him. He pressed his blade against the child's throat, careful with the struggles not to cut him. Yet.

"I'll prove it to you! Come on you little brat," he shook Titan, and Zuko tensed. One slip could kill the kid. "Show Jet and the nice officers your bending and I'll give you back to mommy in one piece! Oh, _mommy_! I have someone for you! Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

"No! No! No! No! No! Strange-dangah! Strange-dangah!" Titan yelled through his cries.

Zuko grit his teeth. Jet came to the same wrongful conclusion he did. This must've made him angrier. No threatening approach then. "Jet." He called out. Jet looked at him, his eyes narrowed, almost crazed. He caught Titan's eye, his stern look, striking fear - or was it understanding? - through the child's limited mindset. He ceased his struggling, but kept crying. Zuko's heart clenched.

"Lee!" Jet said, almost relieved. "Where's Nina? You have to find her! She's part of the fire nation!"

"Calm down." Zuko said slowly. "Jet, let Titan go, he's just a kid!"

"Oh, he is so much more than that. Don't tell me you've fallen for her innocent act as well! Lee! You have to understand - this kid, I _saw_ it! He's a firebender! And Nina's in on it! It's the perfect plan - there may even be more out there! If I could just show you -"

"JET." Zuko blurted. What is he _talking _about? Zuko inched forward, holding out his hands to lower the officers defensive stances. "Let. Him. Go."

Jet scowled. "You don't believe me? Fine! Where is she? I can prove it! I can make her show you!"

Zuko slipped the closest officer's weapon out of it's sheeth, and with one swift movement he threw the sword at Jet. The blade pierced his arm and Titan dropped to the floor. Zuko didn't give any time for a second reaction, instead grabbing the child by the arm and pulling him back and out of Jet's reach.

**-x-**

**Nina**

Of all the times I refused to listen to people in my life, I was glad I didn't this time. The moment my mind stopped pumping my body with doses of panic-induced _stupid_ I crawled out of the kitchen just as Titan was pulled away from the crazed character. I didn't think of Jet as the boy who helped me at the refugee rides, or the beloved character who would later redeem himself when he helped the Gaang find Appa. I only knew that he was a danger to Titan, somebody who's filled with paranoia and crazed rage. That was all that mattered.

Titan spotted me from his place on the ground, his face soaked from tears and snot and ran as fast as his little legs could take him. Within a moment he was wrapped in my arms and clutching to me tightly. The feel of his warmth, the ashy, lavender smell of his hair calmed my beating heart and I was pushed backwards from his weight to keep him in a more comfortable embrace. His quiet sobs were met with my soothing words.

"Shh, it's okay now. It's okay. Zuko is going to kick the bad man's ass now, don't you worry."

At the feel of Titan safely in my arms, my body suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion - tired from my panic attack. My ears took in everything it could to make sure that we were safe; Above Titan's crying I could hear the clanging of metal, the deep voices of the teenagers who had taken the fight outside.

"Children, are you okay?" Iroh's familiar voice surprised me, and I instinctively tightened my hold on Titan as my head whipped up to meet Iroh's gaze. He kneeled down, his large hand on my shoulder for support. Words refused to come up from my throat in fear that I too would burst out crying, so I managed a quick nod.

"Come," He whispered, helping me stand. "My nephew will take care of the other boy, let us head inside. We have important things to talk about."

-x-

**Zuko**

He had the advantage. Despite Jet's remarkable skill being able to keep up with him, injured no less, Zuko is the only one of the two who didn't let emotions control his actions.

Jet spun, the whirl of his blade barely missing Zuko's legs by a fraction of a second. "Lee, listen to me!" he shouted. "She may look innocent but she's been hiding this from you! From everyone! Let me help you!"

"You're the one who needs help!" Zuko stepped forward, picking up his pace. A lapse in judgement and Jet bent back a second too late; his cheek got nicked. Before he knew what was coming, Zuko pinned him, a knee crunching painfully down on his ribs and the twin swords scissored around his throat; the edges slicing into the dirt beneath him, the ring of the blades rubbing dangerously close to his death.

Zuko took almost a little too much pleasure in the frightened look in Jet's eyes. He grinned, the white glow of his teeth rivalling the madness of the boy's insanity.

"It's over."

"You may not believe me now," Jet breathed, refusing to break eye contact with the scarred man. "But you will. Even if you accept her, you know deep down that anybody that has to do with the fire nation should be destroyed. Why can't you understand?"

"No, you understand this and you understand this now." And Zuko lowered his voice. "If you come near the kid again," he chuckled.

Maybe it was pride, or maybe it was because Zuko really, _really_ wanted to see the look on this coward's face; flames lit the back of his throat, the light just enough for this foolish boy and this boy alone, to see.

"I'll burn you to a crisp."

* * *

><p>AN: Ugh, intense scenes and drama are soooo not my forte. But I got through it, hopefully. I really hope I didn't make Jet too crazy, but we all must remember that this is a sensitive thing for him, and that in the series he was borderline obsessed with Zuko after finding out they were firebenders (he was also going to destroy a village FULL of innocent people. And children. I don't put it past him attacking Titan.)

I want to thank everyone for your patience, I had a hard time writing the last half of this chapter because I couldn't figure out an appropriate response for Zuko confronting Nina. But then I thought, 'She has the biggest fan crush on this boy, so . . . mental fangirl-freakout?'.

One more thing before we all go! I just want everyone to know that Nina is NOT going to be a bender of any kind! I guess you could say that's what makes her different/special (my special little snowflake, harr, harr) - the child she cares for is the special one. But don't worry, she's not going to be completely ordinary - she was sent here for a reason, after all.

Please review and tell me what you think! I'll be adding some more original scenes between our four favorite refugees next chap! :)


	10. Homesick

AN: Happy (belated) New Year! I'm so sorry, I tried to update before the new year but the words just came out bleeehhh. I cut this chapter short because of that, but I hope everyone had a happy holidays. And for those who didn't, please have some virtual cookies and milk from me *wraps you in warm blanket*

I keep feeling like I'm writing Nina realizing the 'reality of her situation' over and over, but I just don't know how to express that when she finally feels chill and comfortable, she forgets that everything is not okay in the world. That she doesn't live in a time of peace and people in this world are _weird_ and _insane_ and have the ability to _control the freaking elements_ and the people she watches on tv can _kill her at the drop of a hat no problem_. its just, ack!

PS, even though I don't watch Legend of Korra, I can't help but feel so incredibly happy with the finale I read about on Tumblr. *spoiler alert* Korrasami is canon. Korra and Asami, two awesome female characters, are canon bisexuals. I'm freaking out! *squeals*

_**Special Thanks To:  
><strong>_**Himeno Kazehito  
>LuzElvaParra17<br>FallenAshe  
>Insomniac-with-coffee<br>Nomurai  
>Sabie0521<br>dream lighting  
>Emma<br>The Fire Rain Alchemist  
>Shannyrox101<br>animagirl  
>Sister of the Crimson Dragon<br>RandomCitizen  
>Goldspark<br>Mari  
>indescribable music<br>Guest 1  
>Guest 2<br>Xoxosincerelyabby  
>Kyoki no Megami<br>Demonic Jeirin  
>Guest 3<br>SNicole25  
>Chocogirl24<br>Perlos97  
>Laura Ferrari<br>Hopeeee  
>sophiathesofa<br>Bookadict45  
>Faelyte<br>Guest 4  
>True Thinker<br>Silimaira  
>JackFrost14<br>Guest 5**

* * *

><p>-x-<p>

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 10: Homesick**

-x-

* * *

><p><em>I want to go home.<em>

I watched the officers forcefully take Jet away and suddenly it dawned on me. Maybe it's because I've been so preoccupied with Titan. Maybe it was because I was still in the mindset that this was all a cartoon, and so long as I kept Titan and I safe and fed, we could find the Avatar and that would be that. But the anger and hatred flashing in Jet's eyes the moment he laid them on me, I realized that the world is currently at war. It's not something to entertain people on TV, it's not a history lesson that I have to trudge along through school. Jet sees us as monsters because his family was slaughtered by firebenders. I live in a world with prejudice worse than skin color or religion. I live in a world where people burst fire from their hands and manipulate water with their movements and - Oh, stars.

My stomach lurched and all the blood drained from my face. _Had people known that Jet wasn't as crazy as they think he is right now_, I thought, stepping back into the safety of the tea shop. _What would they do to us?_

Iroh urged me to come back inside to talk. But I couldn't. I couldn't stop staring as Jet was hauled away, his legs dragging and kicking. And looking at the kind old man who was and will still be a mentor to many important people . . . I couldn't hold back my shame; I'm acting like a frightened child! Iroh didn't have to help me, Zuko didn't have to defend me. Whether we've gotten to know each other over the past few weeks or not, I'm still a complete stranger to them. I can only be so lucky that they've helped me thus far.

And my stupid, creepy little fangirl crush on the firebending boy . . . this is ridiculous. He's a person now. A real, physical, _person_. With a life and a past and secrets and feelings.

Titan curled into my chest, calm and exhausted. A little too calm for my liking, thus reminding me that even Titan's dad was rough with him when he was in trouble. The thought of Titan getting smacked around, even by his own father, made me tighten my hold around him. _No one will touch him._ My cringe as Iroh reached to put a comforting hand on my elbow made him hesitate to move further.

"There is no need to be afraid any longer, the boy is gone." he said. His voice and calming words made me feel homesick. So, so, homesick.

"I need to go," I muttered, backing away from him. He took a cautious step forward and, as if whatever fate up there smiled down on me, the gathering crowd began to disperse. Bodies moving in fast-paced movements to get home or find some other interesting event out in the streets of the night. I blended in easily, scurrying away just as Zuko approached the tea shop and my body flipped on autopilot. I need to leave. I need to walk away and use whatever force hides my presence to my advantage. I can hear Zuko's shouts for me as I drifted further and further away. I can see the dark spikes of his hair poking above the moving crowd every time I snuck a glance back. He can't move as fast as he'd like, not with all these people.

I gulped, keeping myself in my robotic-like trance to stop my urge to run. I don't have the stamina to run and hold Titan's weight at the same time. I need to stay _calm._ My legs pushed me forward, fighting against the urge to collapse from its sudden soreness and my heart pounded in my ears. I concentrated on my breathing, twitching at every sound and click from the corners of the district.

When I made it to my door, my free hand fumbled for the apartment key and it dropped with a loud _clank!_ Too loud. Way too loud in my ears.

A hand shot out to it before I could reach it and I nearly fell back.

Zuko stood there, his face pale in the street lights and his expression blank and unreadable. I gulped, subconsciously clutching Titan tighter.

"You shouldn't have run off on your own." He said. His voice is so even and smooth. How is it he sounds so much like the voice actor in the cartoon? Looking at him now, not as the cartoon, but as a real, human man, the two versions sound and look so alike. Did I actually fall into a cartoon? Or did I fall into another world that somehow manifested itself into a cartoon in my world?

What do I do? What do I say? Will Zuko leave me alone if I simply ask him? Will he leave and never turn my way again? I feel like I owe him so much.

Do I even want him to go away? I mean, throwing the shame and embarrassment I feel aside, wouldn't it be in Titan's best interests to stay by Zuko's side? Eventually he will run into Aang and the gang, but could I wait that long? Could I trust Titan's safety in his hands?

My robotic-like trance beginning to subside, I averted my eyes away from his piercing golden ones.

"I think its time I left," I finally said, not quite sure what I meant by them.

_I shouldn't have settled here, _I wanted to say. _I got too comfortable. Please don't ask me anything. I need to find a way to my family._

But the words couldn't find their way to my tongue. In a quick motion Zuko managed to open my door and I automatically walked inside as he followed. The plan was already forming in my head; to pack the things I could carry on my back and sneak out during the night. Of course, that didn't include a certain fire nation prince actually trailing after me.

He shut the door, and I took my time to make my way to Titan and I's little makeshift sleeping corner (the cot provided was proven to be unsanitary a while back. Yuck.)

I tucked him in comfortably, but didn't leave his side. His breathing was quiet but comforting, and I ran a hand over his hair before leaving a lingering kiss on his forehead. He's always been quite warm these days. Is this because of his firebending?

I almost forgot Zuko was even there until he spoke up again; his footsteps to my side were silent, and he knelt next to me.

"Where do you expect to go?" he asked, his voice quiet. I shook my head.

_To find the Aang. Home. To my family. Somewhere where Titan will be safe._

I fought back a wave of exhaustion. "I don't know."

"I won't stop you, Nina." he said.

Now is _sooo _not the time to freak over the sound of his voice saying my name.

"But you won't get very far."

"Gee, thanks," I mumbled, not able to help the offended tone in my voice. I've been able to make it this far just fine thank you very much!

. . . shut up.

"I _mean_," he stressed, sitting semi-cross legged beside me. "Not with him. He hasn't been trained to control his . . . firebending."

I chewed on my lip. Talking to Titan about playing with his new fire abilities was on the top of my list when he woke up.

"I can help you." Zuko continued. "I can help teach Titan to control his firebending."

I rose an eyebrow. And how the hell does he expect to do that?

"And how do you expect to do that?" It's not like he can just set up a firebending training center in Ba Sing Se.

"I don't like that you kept the truth from me and my uncle. That you were lying to us."

Now, technically I wasn't lying! I just . . . withheld the fact that Titan could make fire pop out from his chubby little fingers.

He continued before I could protest. "But I know a thing or two about keeping your identity a secret. What it means to hide who you are to protect yourselves."

My breath hitched, and my mind ran through our conversation several times over to make extra sure I didn't screw up somewhere. Zuko isn't Zuko to me. He's supposed to be Lee: a refugee with no more importance in this world than me!

Did I slip anywhere? Did I say anything that could tip him off?

I said his name. Back at the tea shop I said his name. But did he hear me? Did Iroh? Is that what Iroh wanted to talk about.

It was the only explanation. What could've been so important to _talk_ about? The fact that Jet (rightfully) accused Titan of being a firebender? I mean, for all Iroh knew the boy really was crazy.

A part of me with the survival instincts grew weary. It begged me to leave and to never turn back. What if the other villagers believed there was something to Jet's claims, and investigated? What if Zuko and Iroh saw Titan and I as a threat to their semi-peaceful new lives and decided to take action using 'Lee's' empathy as a trap?

The other part of me, the reasonable I'm-the-good-instincts-and-judgment, part of me, didn't want to leave. Maybe because of my ridiculous fangirl-celebrity crush on him, or maybe its because despite this _not_ being a cartoon world, it was still the same world I grew up watching. I watched Zuko learn and grow from becoming the series main antagonist to becoming his official firebending teacher. This boy before me was going to grow into a man who would become the Fire Lord alongside the Avatar. Deep down I couldn't help but feel like I could trust him.

But he's still in that in-between stage of growing. He has not yet fully learned who he is and what he was meant to do. He is merely working himself as a refugee in order to survive like I have.

"I can't let Titan into the hands of the fire nation. I've seen what they do and teach the children and how they're treated and I just," I gulped. I ran a hand through my baby's thick brown locks and tried to push away the thoughts. Zuko grimaced, as if he never thought about how the children were treated in the fire nation.

"I can help you." he said.

"Why?" I sighed. "What could you possibly gain from helping us?"

"Why?" he chuckled to himself, as if the same question burned his mind when he followed me. Then he stopped short, frowning. "I don't know. Maybe it was because I had the chance to help a lot of people, but I never acted on it."

He shifted, looking from me to Titan. Finally, he hesitantly reached out for me. I reflexively flinched away, but kept eye contact.

"Do you- _Can_ you trust me?" he asked, his voice in a breathy, husky whisper.

I thought of his friendship with Sokka forming over the boiling rock; I thought of Katara and how he helped her confront her mother's murderer; I thought of his coronation as the Fire Lord, and how he walked out to create peace with Aang - from enemies, to the most trusted friends.

I thought of all this in the span of a second, and my lack of hesitation of my response surprised me.

"Yes."

The corner of his lip turned up slightly. Holding his hand up between us, a ball of fire lit up in his palm.

* * *

><p>AN: Jeesh, Nina, would you make up your mind on what you want to think? A part of you trusts Zuko with your whole heart, the other, paranoid part of you says to run the other way . . . damn, you're getting hard to write! T_T

I'm very, very sorry for any spelling mistakes, 's Document Manager seems to have taken the spell check off and I don't have another program to do that for me. I hope everyone enjoyed and I'm sorry for all the seriousness, things will definitely lighten up next chapter! Will Nina reveal any of her secrets to Zuko? That _was_ going to happen this chapter, but I just couldn't find a good place to bring it up without just throwing it all in there so randomly.

Please review and tell me what you think! What you want, what you don't want, any cliché's I should (try) to avoid? I don't go with them all (this is my story after all, things are planned) but I do take them into consideration as I write and change things around my timeline!


	11. The Firebending Teacher

AN: My writing still feels a bit stale, especially after I wrote a really long dream sequence and then replaced it with the short one you'll see down below. It just didn't flow right, and I need this chapter to be more about Zuko and Titan and less about Nina and her panic attacks . . . hmm.

A lot of you gave some very helpful advice about how to write certain scenes and I just, it makes me so happy! Everyday I learn something new about writing and other days I'm so worried because I feel like I have such a limited vocabulary and I just keep writing things over and over (which happens in this chapter, but only because breaking it apart made more sense). So thank you all so much for your help!

_**Special Thanks To:  
><strong>_

**Arkilos  
>Guest 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6<br>Oracion de las Estrellas  
>Crow<br>Silver Ocean jackson  
><strong>**sophiathesofa  
>ShadowJinxed22<br>MusicLover314  
>Nameless Angel 00<br>DarkSecretWaterbender  
>Mimmy14<br>Sabie0521  
>SNicole25: <strong>No, Zuko does not know Nina knows who he really is. He just thinks she knows him as Lee, a firebender.  
><strong>Blackenflames<br>Nomurai:** That is a very good point I should've taken into consideration more thoroughly. But it also shows that a part of Nina only trusts Zuko _because_ of the TV show, which may or may not come back to bite her later on.  
><strong>RandomCitizen:<strong> You know, it is because of that movie that I can never her the words 'Do you trust me?" without thinking of Aladdin xD Glad to see that I'm not the only one. I had very good holidays, thank you for asking :)  
><strong>Sister of the Crimson Dragon<br>shirokuromokona:** Iroh only knew about Tai when Jet approached him and told him, but Iroh is wise and makes judgments for himself. Thank you so much for your review, it gave me a lot to think about!  
><strong>Demonic Jeirin:<strong> Well, I'm pretty sure this chapter will satisfy your need for fluff, I hope lol

**Himeno Kazehito  
>Silimaira<br>iluvfairytale  
>TheQueen'sknight<br>****Chocogirl24  
>shanagi95<br>The Fire Rain Alchemist  
>MoSBanapple<br>Xoxosincerelyabby  
>Moka-girl:<strong> Thank you, thank you, thank you. You're review put what I wanted to write down into words!  
><strong>animagirl<strong>

* * *

><p>-x-<p>

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 11: The Firebending Teacher**

-x-

* * *

><p>There's always some clever proverb going through the minds of the awed and shocked. They're in the beginning of chapters in a book, they're voice-overs in TV shows, they're texts at the start of movies.<p>

But in real life, you don't think of some completely off the wall proverb. You curse under your breath, lacking the intelligence to form coherent, appropriate words, you laugh or you gasp.

Or in my case, you stare stupidly.

Because I already knew that Zuko is a firebender. He didn't know I knew, and that's exactly my point. Zuko and Iroh have been so careful about keeping their identity a secret (aside from the lapse in judgment when Iroh firebent his tea) that they wouldn't even light up their own fire in the safety of their own apartment.

And yet, here he is, showing me a tremendous amount of trust. Zuko. Trusting me. Showing me. There is fire coming out of his hands. And he is literally trusting me with not only his, but his uncle's, life.

I was more surprised at this than I was about the fire!

And what is my reaction? What clever response was I able to muster out of this completely dumbfounded, useless brain of mine?

". . . Huh . . ."

-x-

**Zuko**

"Huh . . . _huh_ . . . I show her all that, and all she can say is _'huh'_!"

"Calm down, my dear nephew, you're working yourself up over nothing. You did just spring such a secret on her after all. She probably didn't know what to say."

Zuko paced the small apartment, rubbing his hands over his face, through his hair, throwing them into the air as if asking the world, 'why?'. He ignored his uncle, who sat calmly on the couch, sipping a cup of nice, jasmine tea.

"And not only that! But I just risked our lives for some idiot, clueless girl we barely know! I threatened Jet, some psycho kid who just threatened _another_ kid, not to come near her again! What is wrong with me!?"

Zuko pounded his head against the wall, groaning loudly as he replayed Nina's response over and over in his head until the simple sound of 'Huh' didn't even sound like a real sound anymore. How could he do that? Why did he do that? What sort of ungodly creature possessed him today of all days? One minute he was angry; angry that she could've exposed them all with a secret she carelessly guarded, the next he was saving her life and sharing he and his uncle's darkest secret! Sure, he didn't tell her who he really was or where he was from, but still, he should be struck down by the Gods of common sense for this night alone!

He could've let her be. He could've fought Jet without threatening the boy by showing Jet his bending. So he could what? Show Jet who was boss? To keep him away from Nina? Why? What importance was Nina to him? He could've just let her leave! To let her run! Then he could go back to his peaceful life of brooding and hating the world for his terrible fate and his inability to regain his honor! But _no_, he just had to follow her to make sure she got home safely. He just had to approach her, and talk to her, and help her even more.

Was she a witch? Did she put some crazy, hoodoo, voodoo spell over him to act like a complete and total moron?

"You worry too much." Iroh said, again too calmly for Zuko's liking. Zuko growled and collapsed onto the couch, rubbing his forehead.

"Nina is a good girl, I believe offering to help her and Titan was the best choice."

Zuko brought down his hand and rubbed the area between his eyes with two fingers, trying to think. "We need to leave. Pack up and start elsewhere."

"Why do we need to leave?" the man looked disheartened, setting his tea on the small wooden table beside him. "I believe I'm about to get promoted at the tea shop! Do you not like it here?"

Zuko stopped mid-stroke, his eyes opening to glare at the man to see if he was joking. "Uncle, have you not been paying attention? Do you know what she could do to us if something goes wrong?"

"That gives us no reason to leave just yet. You forget, Nina has her own secrets to protect, and all for the safety of the boy. If you hadn't offered to help her, who knows when a situation like today would happen again. If you really think carefully about it, helping her would not only assure her and the boy's safety, but ours as well. Her not being exposed will not expose us in the process." he paused for a sip. "Not that I'm saying that's the only reason to help them. It is the right thing to do, and she has become our first friend in Ba Sing Se."

True. Very true. In some turn of events (if only because Zuko knew they would be so lucky) the police would turn straight to Zuko and Iroh out of association.

"What did you do next?"

"I told her . . ." there were so many things he wanted to tell her in that moment, he just couldn't find a way to say them. Why did she trust him so much? From the very beginning, he could see she was guarded, but he could feel she trusted him more than Jet, and those two had known each other longer, at least, he assumed they did. "I gave her a choice; should I return in the morning and find her gone, I won't go after her. If she stays then . . ." the rest was left unsaid.

Iroh nodded. "You may be suspicious of Nina's reasoning, but you do understand why she did what she did. You have good instincts about people, I suggest you trust them more."

The boy snorted. "If I had such good instincts about people, I would've seen Jet coming from a mile away."

"That young man was fairly troubled. If he knew the truth about us, I assure you, he would've had the same reaction."

It was fairly easy for Zuko not to use his firebending fighting Jet, but he could remember the flames of anger in the pit of his stomach; how Jet was able to attack an innocent child he was willing to help not a few weeks earlier.

"That's another problem," Zuko sighed, sitting up to crouch with his elbows resting on hi knees. "Jet knows."

Iroh rose an eyebrow. "You informed Jet too? Before or after he tried to kill you?"

"During the fight!" Zuko threw his hands up, wishing there was some way he could smack himself and wake up from this nightmare. "When I pinned him I . . . I threatened him to never come near here again and I . . . I kind of blew fire into his face."

Iroh blinked once. Twice.

"Now, that was foolish of you."

-x-

**Nina**

So many problems. Too many problems. Will the guilt ever end? Not only did Zuko trust us with his most protected secret, but he's offering to _help_. Zuko. Helping me. Helping Titan. Was there a patch of rushed character development I missed? Because I sure didn't remember him being this civil at this point in the cartoon.

I'm not a cartoon. I'm not in a cartoon. Yes, I understand that. But this is still the same world I grew up watching. The people I meet may be real now, but they're still the people I've come to know and love through a television screen. Maybe not the same people . . . no, definitely not the same people, but up to this point they have each acted almost exactly how they were portrayed in my world, along the same timeline.

Which begs the question: Did I fall into the cartoon world, or had this world manifested itself into a cartoon in my world? If so, what was difference between the two? Looking at this like a timeline, everything was nearly on-point; Jet's attack, Zuko and Iroh taking refuge in Ba Sing Se; the tea shop. Things have changed, obviously, with I and Titan's presence. But things have apparently changed before we even arrived here. At least, that is what I gathered from the voices in my head at Full Moon Bay and thereafter.

The voices. The voices were so quiet now. I had ignored them during our first arrival here because I literally thought I was going crazy, and Titan was my main concern. I ignored them. Forgot about them. But now that things have gotten so out of whack, it's gotten me thinking; these voices, from what I was able to understand, they're the ones who sent me here. I don't remember everything they said, but that was the gist of it. They kept pushing me in the "right direction" to who? Zuko? Really?

Ugh. This is exactly why I ignored them. They brought up too many questions and just thinking about them all made my brain hurt.

Eventually I manage to drift off into sleep, the days events repeating in flashes behind the lids of my eyes. Son the images began to change. From the day, to a memory. The world merges from life-like to cartoon-like.

_"The Avatar is dead."_

_". . . has succeeded whereas she should not."_

_". . . fates have been wronged._

_"The Guardian was our only hope."_

_". . . must restore the balance."_

It felt like I was watching the cartoon all over again. The time I had seen this episode was during the summer at my grandmother's house; when the series had ended and an _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ marathon premiered on TV.

The group were fighting in the catacombs. Cornered by Zuko, Azula, and the Dai Lee, Aang covered himself with the green crystals and resumed his training in the Avatar state. He journeyed along the mountain with the purple background, the tattoos on his body glowed bright, lighting the cave. Zuko released himself from a defensive stance and the Dai Lee backed away. An explosion of energy, Aang awakening.

He lifted into the air, eyes white, body curled. Katara smiled up at him, her thick hair flowing over her shoulders from her earlier conflict.

And then lightning strikes. The world changes colors, a loud crack snaps my ears and my heart thumps hard in my chest. The Avatar falls, and the world goes black.

_The Avatar is dead. _

The vision stopped, but I knew it wasn't supposed to. Why didn't it continue? The rest of the episode was sad, the Gaang would eventually escape, flying away on Appa and Katara would cry as she held Aang's limp body. She would take out the small bottle of spirit water and her hands would soon be engulfed in a blue light.

But it stopped. And then the whispers began. I could feel the panic of the voices, their frantic whispering overlapping each other as they try to find out what happened. They speak of the new vision, of the break between the spiritual and physical world.

The blackness subsided, and then there were lights. White and red, the sound of a vehicle speeding down the road? The alarm is replaced with a loud thumping, and as my consciousness drifts out from the dream world I couldn't help but feel irritated. The thumping turned more frantic, and after one loud pounding I groaned loudly and hugged my pillow.

"I'M SLEEPING!" I yelled, hoping whomever was bothering me could hear me through the door.

"It's me!" Yelled a voice, slightly muffled. I reluctantly lifted my head, finding Titan curled under me and nearly pushing me out of the blankets. Groaning again, I turned to face the door and rubbed my eyes.

"'Me' who?"

Something that sounded like an irritated sigh was followed by, "It's Lee. Are you going to open the door?"

Lee . . . Lee . . . Zuko!

My eyes widened and my entire body shot forward. After wrestling with the blankets I rolled over and jumped to my feet, about to swing open the door when I looked down and realized I was only wearing my undergarments.

SO not a good idea!

"Just a minute!" I yelled back. I ran to the bathroom, pulled on the black robe and tamed my messy hair by pulling it back into a clip. By the time I opened the door, I was already out of breath.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" I gulped, holding my chest. I don't know what time it is but I'm pretty sure with the orange sky it was pretty early.

Zuko rose an eyebrow. "I told you I would be here at dawn. How are you not ready yet?"

I blinked. "I thought that was just an expression! What kind of psycho actually wakes up at dawn? Have you never heard of sleep?" He frowned, his eyes narrowing. "Or happiness?"

Zuko folded his arms as if he were a grown-up telling a stubborn child to pick up their toys.

I opened the door more, grumbling. "Okay, I'm getting ready, stop looking at me like you're my mom." and then I mumbled, more to myself. "It's not like I have an alarm clock."

-x-

As we made our way through the town, more and more people began to wake with the morning; markets opened, the streets filled. As if last night a teenage boy hadn't attacked a child, or a fight hadn't broken out with said teenage boy and another teenage boy, as if all was right with the world. It didn't seem real, now that I thought about it. None of it. What with being calmed, and carrying Titan on my hip as he fought the early morning rays to try to get a little extra sleep.

It's hard to believe we've only been here a little over a week. Maybe two? I lost track.

"Why don't you let him walk?" Zuko asked as we turned a corner down a street I didn't recognize. I absent-mindedly adjusted Titan, his weight beginning to tire my arms.

"Uh, no reason, it's just," I blinked, the thought of letting Titan loose stirring something uncomfortable in my chest. "I don't want him to run off."

"He's not going to learn anything if you keep coddling him."

"I don't-" I protested, and then switched Titan to my other hip as he decided he wanted to wake up. "I don't coddle him."

He looked like he didn't believe me. Biting my lip and sticking up my chin, I set Titan down, but held onto his hand.

"See?" I huffed. Zuko continued to look unconvinced.

"Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything." Zuko said, looking back ahead of him.

"I can hear you thinking it."

Another moment of silence. Titan pulled his hand out of mine and latched them both onto my leg, stopping us. "Nina, I hungwee, I wan'ceweal."

I sighed, picking him back up.

"What's wrong?" Zuko asked, stopping just a few steps ahead of us.

"He's hungry. We haven't had breakfast yet." As if on que, my stomach painfully twisted and grumbled. I frowned at his hesitance. "Are we in a rush?"

He shook his head. "No, just . . . no." He tilted his head ahead of us. "We can get some food down there."

He stalked ahead of us, but his attitude was bothering me. Was helping us really bothering him? Did he regret his decision to share his secret with me?

"You know," I said, jogging to catch up with him. We stopped at a small food stand where a man was selling what smelled like grilled chicken, teriyaki and veggies on sticks and rice. "If you changed your mind about helping us, I would completely understand." I took out my small pouch of coins, suddenly praying I had enough. But Zuko shook his head, giving the old man his pay before picking up our plates of food and leading us over to a small table.

"Thank you." I muttered, setting Titan on the table in front of me.

"I didn't change my mind." Zuko said. "It's just . . . I'm not used to life being so . . ." he waved his hands about him, pretty much referencing Ba Sing Se in a general sense.

I didn't say anything. I wish I could tell him that I knew what he meant. I may not understand it, but I knew he and his uncle had been on the run after he lost his ship and crew. I knew that they had a hard time surviving, let alone hiding. I pretended to busy myself by feeding Titan.

However, once Titan saw the plate of rice and meat, he squinted his nose and made a face, leaning away from the fork I drew out for him.

"I know it's not breakfast food mommy makes, but this is all your getting."

Titan whined, looking away and shying away from the food. "I wan'ceweal."

"We don't have cereal."

Titan whined again, the noise vibrating in the back of his throat as his lips tightened together. Sighing, I set the food back on the table and plopped him on the chair next to me. "Fine. Then you won't eat. The food will be here when you're hungry."

As Titan sobbed, trying to gain my sympathy, I pretended to ignore him and went to eating. The teriyaki on a stick was delicious, and I devoured it in nearly a second. I didn't realize how long it'd been since I had a hot meal.

When I looked up, Zuko was blinking at me owlishly.

Suddenly self-conscious, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and sat back. "What?"

He shrugged, looking at me, then back at Titan who slumped back in his chair, then back at me.

"What's a cereal?" he asked. This time I blinked owlishly at him.

"Cereal?"

"Yeah."

Did they not have cereal in this world? I thought about it; America's breakfast was very different compared to the rest of the world. I remembered the first year I lived in Germany, and how the hotel's breakfast didn't have the usual pancakes and waffles, but they had rolls and breads and sandwich meats and cheese. It was very likely that was the case here.

"Uh, it's this kind of this sugary grain stuff made with different things and has different flavors . . . and you put it in a bowl with milk. It's a very common to eat where we come from." I vaguely set the image, and though Zuko looked confused, he set back to eating, not bothering to ask more questions. I let out a small breath of relief, grateful that he didn't ask about our home, and turned back to Titan, whose knees nearly touched the ground during his disappointed slumping.

"Are you ready to eat?" I asked. Titan made a rather irritated whine, sinking lower until his torso hung off the edge of the chair. "Okay, fine then. But you're not getting anything else."

"Isn't it bad if he doesn't eat?" Zuko asked. "Can't you just force him?"

I shrugged. It was an innocent question, one I wondered when I first began looking after my baby cousins. "When kids don't eat, they get really grouchy and grumpy. So it's always good to keep them fed at all times throughout the day. However, if they don't want to eat while everyone else is eating, then you just take the food away until they're ready. Forcing kids to eat will cause them to become over weight, and is unhealthy."

He looked a bit taken aback at this new information and scratched his chin with one finger. "Huh."

"Yeah. They also need to be fed before anyone else. I learned that one that hard way." Imagining the kids running around my apartment put a smile on my face. I remember struggling to make them all food, always turning to my own plate before somebody started whining. When I finally got the chance to eat, my plate would be cold. After that, I learned to make it last.

After a couple of minutes, Titan finally straightened in his seat, but he was still pouting. I couldn't help the giggle bubbling up my throat. "Are you ready to eat now?" I asked.

"Yeah." He said while nodding. I grinned and took him into my lap to feed him the rest of my food.

"Are we going to park today?" he asked between mouthfuls of chicken.

"Uh, we're going someplace special," I said mysteriously, my voice cracking into a whisper. "It's a surprise, so shhh," I brought a finger to my lips. Titan looked up at me sideways, his eyes widening before he copied my action.

"Shhh, kay."

"Okay."

-x-

Two monorail stops and a short walk into pretty much the middle of nowhere later, it seems that we arrived at a ghost town. A tall building with a hefty chunk taken out of it loomed over us, my mouth dropped open.

"I've been researching some safe places I can teach him last night. The area around here has been abandoned after a fire took nearly the entire district. We should be safe here for now. But make sure you stay right behind me, I set traps earlier this morning to alert us if anybody walks nearby."

"I love youuuu!" I cooed. Zuko paused, and turned to find me poking Titan in the nose.

"I wuv you!" Titan cooed back.

"Well, I love you more."

"No, I wuv you more!"

"No, I love you more!"

Zuko growled. "Are you listening to me?"

I poked Titan's nose again, but looked up without removing it. "Yes, I'm listening. Stay right behind you, traps everywhere to alert us, thank you, thank you." Titan swatted my hand away and moved to poke me in the cheek, giggling.

"You should at least look like you're paying attention." Zuko huffed as we followed him inside.

"I'm sorry." I smiled apologetically. "But when Titan's in a good mood I try to take advantage of it. Thank you, again, for taking the time to do this for us. I know you didn't have to."

Zuko nodded. "You don't have to keep saying thank you. This is good on both our parts."

"I know, I just don't know how to express how truly grateful I am." I shrugged. I had this same problem back home; I said 'Thank you' and 'I'm sorry' to my family more than anything else in my vocabulary. Recently I was starting to feel like a parrot, repeating the same thing over and over.

Zuko looked away, clearing his throat. "Let's get started."

I was nervous the moment Titan left my arms. What would training a three-year-old be like? Could it hurt him? Is it possible he could do something that would hurt himself? Like blow something else.

"Nina." Zuko called. I shook my head. "You can let go of his hand now."

"Right. Sorry." I took a few steps back.

"Stop apologizing. That gets annoying too."

"Sorry- I mean, sor - eh. Okay."

Zuko waited for me to finish, and when I finally settled down he crouched to his knees so that he was more to Titan's level.

"Now, Titan is actually very young to start firebending. And I noticed that he manipulates it more than he bends it; I've never seen something like that before, but I can work with it. Titan, I need you to do exactly as I do, okay?"

Titan looked confused, but he nodded excitedly anyway.

"Good."

For the next fifteen minutes, Zuko attempted to show Titan the basic stances he needed to learn without the use of firebending. He didn't seem to understand, finding more fun in playing with the rock by his feet until he decided to walk back to me and ask to play on my phone.

"This isn't working." Zuko sighed, rubbing a hand through his spiky hair. I bit my lip, embarrassed and hopped off the broken steps I seated myself in.

"Let me try something." I said, pushing Titan away from my pockets as he attempted to reach for my phone. I crouched down and grabbed his shoulders.

"Tai," I said seriously. "I know it's hard, but you need to try and . . . copy what Lee is showing you, okay? He's going to teach you how to play with the fire. You know, the ones you can create with your hands?"

"Ohh!" Titan said, understanding. I turned to Zuko.

"He's still a baby, you need to go really slow with him." I stood and dusted off my jeans. "Do the first stance again."

He blinked, but didn't argue. Turning back to Titan, I attempted to coach him into the same stance, and he loosely did as he was told.

"And keep your arms up here. Like that, okay?"

"Oh! Like lil'dragons!" Titan's smile widened. "With gran'ma and papa?"

It took me a second to understand. "Yes! Exactly like in little dragons! No, no, keep your stance and stay like that. Very good!"

"Little dragons?" Zuko asked. I scratched my head.

"Uh, my grandparents," I explained lamely, wondering if this was safe information. "They sort of own a martial arts school, and the class for the kids was called 'little dragons'. I didn't know he actually went to them before, though."

He nodded, but still looked confused. "Where is this school, exactly?"

Okay, so not good information. It made me sound like I actually lived amongst the fire nation. I couldn't turn back now though. "Oh, uh, far away. Like, way, way, far away, you probably don't know it."

He looked like he wanted to press, but he didn't. Instead he stepped out of his stance and tapped his chin, observing Titan. "That does help, knowing he has experience with some discipline. But . . ."

Zuko sat on the floor behind Titan, who turned in response. He rubbed his chin again before sighing.

"Sorry, I didn't think of hard this might be. I've never taught a kid before."

I tried to hold back my laugh. It was pretty funny, thinking about how he was 'destined' to become Aang's firebending teacher and the trouble he went through to do that in the cartoon. I wonder if that would be the same in this case.

-x-

After asking permission, Zuko coached Titan in a way that required him to sit cross-legged on the floor and move Titan's arms and legs the way he wanted to. It was too cute, watching the two together and for a moment I couldn't believe it. His voice was low, and he spoke to Titan with small, easy words, but didn't coo at him like he was stupid. Titan found it fun, and considered it a game unless he wanted to be stubborn and do what he wanted.

Soon enough Titan was clumsily memorizing the movements he was taught and was able to do them on command. Sat on the broken, stone steps, I watched with fascination. I really had to resist the urge to whip out my phone and start snapping pictures.

After a while I began to grow bored though; which was surprising, considering that I just couldn't grasp how impossible this entire situation in general was, but my hands started to get fidgety. I took out my phone and started playing solitaire on my Addicting Games app.

Zuko approached me I don't know how long later, but I was playing (and failing) my 25th game when I jumped at his voice in front of me.

"He fell asleep." He said simply, and I looked up to find him holding Titan awkwardly against his chest.

I laughed. "I can't believe you wore him out! What happened?"

He almost looked irritated, and scowled at my amused grin. "I had to put him in my lap so I can correct his fingers on his fist, and the next thing I knew he was snoring."

I couldn't help the embarrassing noise that came from my throat, which was a mix between 'aww!" and 'Hmm!'. To recover from this, I continued before he could react. "I should've mentioned he does have a nap time."

"Would you take him?" he snapped, and I took the boy in my arms. "There's nothing more I can teach. Once I know he can master these forms, I can teach him to control his bending. Until then, we'll have to keep a careful eye on him."

I nodded, unsure of what to say. We stood there awkwardly for a while before I cleared my throat.

"Time for lunch?"

-x-

**Zuko**

Time and time again the mystery of the two cousins plagued Zuko's mind. Titan was a three year old with the ability to manipulate fire - not firebend, nobody just sneezes or bursts fire from their hands out of the blue in this day and age. Titan produced it and then manipulated it, and during the short time he had secretly observed what Titan knew, he found that the boy did indeed have previous training and discipline - something that Nina didn't seem to be aware of. Mind you, Titan was still as clumsy as a toddler could be, and his mind wandered and his body didn't wish to cooperate, but it was there. The intelligence behind the boy's eye grew as he slowly understood what Zuko was teaching him.

He didn't want to press Nina about her origins; he too had a very, no-doubt-questionable back story. But he couldn't help but wonder: where did she come from that was so different? So foreign? From the way she spoke to the clothes they wore, to the strange black device she attempted to hide in her pocket and shied away from him when he got too close.

Of course, these thoughts only intensified when she stood at the counter in his kitchen, blinking at the bowl of rice he had given her. She had rinsed it well; till the water ran clear. But when she finished, she looked around the small kitchen as if she were searching for something and then paused.

"Don't tell me," He said slowly, standing beside her as she let out an irritated huff. "You don't know how to make rice?"

"I know how to make rice!" she said quickly, folding her arms. She tapped her foot out of nervous habit. "I'm the only one who made rice in my house because my entire family was incapable of doing such a task . . ."

He rose an eyebrow, waiting.

"We just . . . had different tools to make it and I don't know what to do now and -" she stopped, and Zuko couldn't help it. He laughed. The sound was such a foreign thing to his ears that for a moment he couldn't understand what it was. It was rude, and he regretted it immediately but once he started he couldn't stop! He had to hold onto the counter

"Stop laughing, jerkface! This is not funny!" Her voice was high and embarrassed; he could spot the faintest tint of blood reddening her dark cheeks as she sputtered some more. After calming down, Zuko looked up and found her grinning and her eyes bright like she had witnessed a miracle. She wasn't angry with him for laughing, and for that he was relieved; the last thing he needed was for her to think he was making fun of her.

"I'm sorry," he said, clearing his throat. He couldn't force down his own smile though, even if it was hurting his cheeks. "I'm not laughing at you."

"Wha - You were so laughing at me! I know how to make rice." She turned to run a finger on the edge of the large bowl. "It's made differently here, that's all. Believe it or not I grew up a little more privileged than I am now."

Zuko ignored her pouting, instead stepping closer to to grab the rice bowl. His hand brushed against hers and she shifted at the contact. He frowned slightly, wondering why that irritated him.

"Here, let me show you."

It was a fairly easy dish to make, and for a moment Zuko wondered just what kind of tools Nina was used to using to make it. He instructed her about the few ways he learned to make rice from his uncle, and when he felt that she understood he stood back to watch as she prepared the pot of boiling water. When she finished, she moved to observe her work and nearly bumped straight into him.

"Oh! Sorr-uh . . . " she gasped, and Zuko grasped her arms to steady her. She stiffened in his hold, her back straightening against his chest. For a good five seconds he could feel her breathing stop before finally, she took a step away from him. He didn't know why, but he allowed his hands to brush against her arms for a moment longer than was necessary.

Nina cleared her throat and turned, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"So . . . what now?"

Silently, Zuko motioned to the living room. Now they wait.

* * *

><p>AN: Now, I don't completely understand how bending works so these last few chapters I may have made some mistakes. I know that it was taught to people by what symbolises the elements, but then I remembered; some may just have a natural talent for it and it doesn't just pass through family members. Zuko has discovered that Titan really isn't bending, but manipulating. That will be explained in future chapters**.**

You know, I was going through the timeline I had written up or this story (some I even forgot I was gonna do) and totally found myself altering it a LOT. Because Nina, you brat, Nina, kept going off script and I found that it didn't expand the characters as much as it could. I have so many things I could do with this at my fingertips, that one thing I've never seen in fanfictions with this theme is the cartoon-based characters gradually learning about the OC and where they come from. I'm not going to have Nina blurt out an entire explanation about her world. I'm going to have fun with it.


	12. The Tale of the Tea Shop pt 1

AN: I am so, so, SO sorry for my sudden disappearance. I suddenly lost my motivation to write and couldn't even work on my personal projects. However, I finally had a whole day with Titan's real-life inspiration, so that was helpful.

I'm very happy everyone has been paying attention to the use of the phone. In some deleted/rewritten scenes that I forgot to write in again, Nina has been saving the battery by turning the phone off when not in use. However, I didn't know that a lack of signal kills the battery faster (huh, one does learn something new everyday. Would explain why my phone has been dying faster, I thought I broke it . . .), so I'll have to adjust the useage. The phone does have an importance later, I promise its not all tossed in just willy-nilly.

I'm sorry if I haven't replied to your review, I haven't had much time on my hands and I wanted to get this out as soon as possible. But I'm getting a common question among the reviews so I should answer that here: **Is Nina going to be a bender?** I don't know if I've publicly answered this yet, but just in case, **No.** Nina is normal. Funfact: But if she did (And she's NOT!) she would be a waterbender.

_**Special Thanks To:**_ If you have any questions I didn't answer please ask in the next review. I'll try to keep track of it by answering right away!

**Chocogirl24  
>animagirl<br>luna  
>Himeno Kazehito<br>SNicole25  
>Nomurai<br>Silverstorm13  
>iluvfairytale<br>Dest  
>Moka-girl<br>Guest 1  
>shirokuromokona<br>Goldspark1  
>RandomCitizen<br>Guest 2  
>New and Old<br>Sabie0521  
>Snugglesthefluffykitten<br>Guest 3  
>Guest 4<br>KBMaillet  
>Blackenflames<br>TreebuttonDemigod  
>CeresMaria<br>sophiathesofa  
>TheSecretNames<br>Princess LaLaBlue  
>zukofetish<br>Guest 5  
>hateme101<br>MoonShadow396  
>Morning-Macchiato<br>medvsa (Chapter 3)  
>BlueFlame27<br>SeekingLove  
>Guest 6<br>yuki**

* * *

><p>-x-<p>

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 12: The Tale of the Tea Shop pt. 1**

-x-

* * *

><p><strong>Nina<strong>

It isn't until I'm left with the decision to buy something that wasn't food or clothing that I realized I was really getting low on money. No job, no money. What else did I expect? I'm pretty sure the only reason we haven't gone completely broke yet is because Iroh and Zuko have been kind enough to feed Titan and I, and my Polynesian pride wouldn't allow me to mooch off of them for much longer. My last little street performance got me in trouble with a couple shop owners, who were annoyed that I was distracting their potential customers. Just that one troublesome run ruined my ability to continue doing it anywhere else, and so the idea was scrapped.

Shopping for more fitting clothes for Titan, and trading in that awfully big black robe so that I too can have something new to wear, we had just enough to buy food for the next week - and that's if we limited our snacking to three times a day. Trust me, that's saying a lot considering members of my family constantly eat throughout the day. Our new diet was already changing Titan's behavior, and not in a good way. I could only be grateful that the healthier food and constant walking was helping me lose my baby fat already, and that Titan was healthy and not losing any of his needed weight yet. The day I notice him getting lighter will be the day I really worry. And if I have anything to do about it, that won't be happening anytime soon.

I could tell Iroh's teachings about money was paying off. At one point as I was picking up a bag of fruits, I realized the shop owner had jipped me by two silver coins when I saw how much he charged the lady before me, and recognized him as one of the people who wouldn't hire me due to my ignorance of how the money system worked. He was surprised when I returned and demanded the rightful price, and sheepishly handed me back my change with a low-voiced apology.

By the end of our trip, I had a palm full of mostly bronze and silver coins.

I tried calculating what the rest of this could possibly buy before I would have to turn to stealing for our survival again, and with the limited knowledge I had on this world's currency thanks to Iroh's teachings, the numbers weren't looking good. Our belongings consisted of at least two pairs of clothes counting our _modern_ ones, the backpack of stuff from our arrival in Full Moon Bay, and a small toy Titan was quickly bored of. I considered trying to sell it again for some extra pocket money, but my hesitance in talking to strangers off the street quickly dashed that possibility. I had a hard enough time shopping,I didn't need anything more to topple my crippling anxiety. What I did need was something to entertain Titan and I at home.

(It is here that I also wonder how people survived without TV and Internet and other such technology in the olden days, and then I remembered that people had things called jobs that occupied their free time.)

The thought of strangers brought my thoughts back to Iroh, the old man being the kindest soul I've ever met. He reminded me of my grandfather just by the way he acted and the way he spoke.

"See something you like?" the kind, young man in his 30's asked at the stringed-instruments vendor. I hesitated, and to occupy my nervousness I pushed the flower I suspected was a moonflower vase into the shade, where it bloomed beautifully. Nodding to myself, I made my final decision.

"Umm. I'm not sure . . . how much is this one?" I could always buy the ukulele-type instrument I another time.

The man stopped himself short when he offered the price, his eyes casting over my pinned-up hair.

"Your hairclip is quite beautiful." He observed. "With such an elegant carving and material. Where did you get it?"

"M-My hairclip?" I stuttered, wondering why it held his gaze so. I took it out and my braided hair fell long over my shoulder. The clip was almost as long as my hand, and could be found at any Walmart back home. The grip was tight and strong enough to hold up my thick hair, which was the only reason I bought it. I believe the cast of the sunlight made it more beautiful, showing off the intricate carvings and the smooth, marble paint of bronze and black.

"Are you willing to trade? It would be such a lovely gift for my wife. Not many could afford hairclips like that here."

Thinking about it, women usually held their hair in rubberbands or chopsticks here. Hairclips (at least, good ones) must be a luxury they don't have.

Well, damn. How much could I have gotten if I'd decided to wear my turtle-shell hairclip on Titan's birthday?

If he wanted my hairclip instead of my money, then damn, I won't pass this chance up!

The young man behind the counter handed me the Liquin, taking my hairclip in exchange with a bright smile. He bowed politely, thanking me for my service and I nodded back. Titan took my free hand, holding our small bag of groceries in one arm and pursed his lips.

"Are you going to play, Nina?" he asked.

"No," I told him. "This is a gift for Mister Ir-er, Mister Mushi." This name thing is getting out of hand.

"Oh." He tilted his head. "Okay."

Our walk to the tea shop was silent for a few moments before he spoke up again. "Daddy likes to play the _leh-leh_ a lot, 'member?"

By 'leh-leh', Titan meant the ukulele, an instrument our uncles played often during family gatherings or when they just sat around doing nothing. I played occasionally, but only when I was alone. I remember sneaking out to my parents bedroom and grabbing my mother's to practice while they worked and my brother attended school. I could confidently play two songs through-and-through.

Thank the stars for Youtube.

"I remember." The thought of Titan's parents nearly stopped me in my tracks. Titan hadn't spoken of them since his birthday. How have I not been more concerned about this? Does he know that there is a small possibility that we'll never see them again?

To be honest, I didn't want him to know. I didn't want him to understand how complicated our situation really is. He's already having a hard time adjusting with the cultural and historical differences here. He was my only beacon of hope that we would actually return at all.

"Titan, do you miss your daddy?"

Titan thought for a while, and then shook his head. "No, I wan'stay with you."

"I know that." We stopped in front of the tea shop. I kneeled down so that I was eye-level with him and cupped his cheek.

"But you have to be missing him, right? And mommy? Don't you want to go home?"

I didn't think he understood what I meant until he shrugged. "Yeah." he said, looking down and shuffling his feet. "I miss them. And Karen and Merida."

"But?" I pressed.

"But . . . it feel wrong there. I wan'stay here with Nina cuz it feel right."

Now I didn't understand. His words jumbled over each other and it took me a second to figure out what he was saying and even then it didn't make any sense. I was going to press more, but his look of discomfort stopped me and I smiled, ruffling a hand through his hair.

"You almost look ready for a nap. Do you want some tea?"

Titan perked up, nodding.

"Alright, then. Let's go!"

-x-

The bright smile on Iroh's face as I handed him the instrument lifted my heart. Titan smiled shyly at the old man, peeking behind my leg.

"How kind of you! You didn't have to give me any-"

"For what you've done to take care of us, it is literally the _least_ I could do." I shifted nervously, hoping I didn't overstep my boundaries secretly knowing Iroh's history. He simply nodded, rubbing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Well, thank you, Syrena. This is . . . just what I needed today." He almost looked ready to cry. Acting quickly, again hoping I didn't overstep my boundaries, I nodded, waving it off and motioned for Titan to sit at a small table in the far corner.

"Are you and -" Don't say Zuko! Lee. Lee. Lee! "_Lee_ working today?"

Iroh shook his head. "I have graciously asked for a day off as there aren't usually many customers on this day. But Lee," he turned to glance at the full head of spikey hair poking out from the kitchen window. "will still be able to serve you, should the need arrive." he laughed, and then winked at me with a mischievous grin before taking his leave.

The action confused me as I waved good-bye, and then my face burned with knowing as my mind shifted into something that Iroh totally-probably-absolutely didn't mean. The images of a shirtless, cartoon-version of Zuko scanned over to the tight muscles of his arms and torso and I couldn't help but wonder just how _that_ would look on a person in real life. Something that, as my mind reminded me, is a complete possibility now.

_Drool._

"Aish!" I gasped, scolding myself for the dirty thoughts and shaking my head. Bad Nina! Bad, bad, bad Nina! This is a _real _person you're thinking about now! Not appropriate!

"Stupid spirits!" I muttered, low enough for my voice to sound unintelligible. "Stupid cute, firebending tea server!"

Feeling my cheeks heat up to an abnormal temperature, I subconsciously reverted to my otaku-mindset and patted the sides of my face in attempts to calm myself down. I scurried to the table Titan chose and searched for something to distract me.

"Alrighty, Tai. What kind of tea do you want?"

"I like the lavender!" he exclaimed, wriggling in his seat impatiently.

"I'm bored. Can I play on phone?"

"It's almost dead." I sighed sadly, remembering the dreaded 20% charge message it had left this morning.

"Can you charge it?" he asked.

The damn thing was supposed to last me two weeks! Two! It's been, what, a week and a half? Even with the mophie - its emergency charger - it was already starting to die. I ended up leaving it in our bag, hidden under some loose floorboards in the apartment so that I didn't have to carry it around and be tempted to use it.

"No. We don't have the charger, so it's going to be a while before we can use it.

Titan pouted, folding his arms and swinging his legs in his seat. "Fine." I rolled my eyes at his attitude and turned, intending to place an order until a rough hand gripped my upper arm and tugged it tightly.

"We have a problem."

I'd recognize Zuko's voice anywhere. The alarms in my head silenced, and I relaxed in his hold.

"What's wrong?" I whispered, looking behind me as if a villain with the word _'EVIL' _plastered on their face were going to be there. Zuko shook his head, and motioned his head to the counter for me to move over. Not able to live down that night with Jet, I grabbed Titan with my free hand and followed Zuko to the counter.

"Hey!" Titan fussed, kicking his feet. "I wanna sit!"

"Shush, or your not getting a cookie!" I scolded. Titan immediatly stilled, his eyes widened.

"Okay. I be quiet!"

I rarely ever bought the small biscuts and cookies the tea shop made, and I suddenly felt guilty for lying to him. We didn't have enough.

I hope the sandwiches I packed would distract him.

"What's wrong?" I asked Zuko who clearly looked annoyed.

"Did you tell anyone?"

"Tell anyone? Tell anyone what?"

Zuko glared, his amber eyes burning with such hot intensity. My attempts not to swoon were replaced with understanding, and then offense. He wanted to know if I told anybody about his and Tai's firebending training.

"No, I didn't tell anyone! Despite what you may think, I'm not an _idiot_!" I hissed, wrenching my arm out of his grip. "And don't grab me like that again!"

He ignored me, which only fanned the flames of my anger further. "There's a girl over there at the corner table. She knows something - no, don't look!"

Irritated, I ignored Zuko's demand and turned to see the girl he was speaking of smiling lightly to herself, sipping a cup of tea. She was a small girl with her dark hair in two long braids and a cute, round face. I recognized her as a regular. After a good three seconds, it finally clicked, and I had to keep myself from laughing - is that the girl that had a crush on Zuko? From _The Tales of Ba Sing Se_?

Are you kidding me?

I didn't recognize her before - of course, the only reason I'd recognize anyone would be because they'd have physical traits that stood out like a blinking beacon from the show. Since people here weren't _cartoons_, they looked like really good, really dedicated cosplayers. That also meant facial shapes and proportions were more realistic.

Zuko gives no fucks about girl stereotypes, I'll hand him that. To suspect an innocent-enough looking girl of spying on him told me he really didn't care to underestimate anyone no matter how harmless they looked.

I sighed, slightly relieved to know where I was in the timeline and turned back to face Zuko's scowl.

"I told you not to look!"

"You're kidding, right?"

"She's been here way too often and stays way too long to be some normal customer. She _knows._ Give me two minutes to distract the shop manager and I'll lead you two out the back door -"

"I'm going to go talk to her." I say defiantly before turning on me heels and tugging Titan with me.

"What? Wait -"

Before he could stop me, I strode forward until I got to the girl's table. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Zuko face palm and mutter something unintelligible.

"Hi!" I greeted in a high pitched-voice that I would immediately regret. The girl looked at me with a pleasant smile, and I suddenly felt very awkward.

"Hi!" she greeted back.

I stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, unsure of what to do next.

Why did I do this again?

What do I say?

What do I do?

Oh, stars, why am I allowed to interact with people?

Thinking fast I held out my hand.

"I-I'm Nina. I thought I'd come over and introduce myself because I've seen you come in here often and I don't really know anyone and I'd really understand if you'd like me to walk away now . . ."

I bit my lip, struggling to keep up my tense, shaky smile. She took my hand, her own smile warm and welcoming and shook her head.

"No! No! It's nice to meet you, please, have a seat! I'm Jin."

I gulped, suddenly relaxing and laughed nervously.

"Sorry, I don't normally . . . talk to people." I sat down.

She giggled. "That's okay." she spotted Titan peeking out from behind the table.

"Aw," she cooed. "What's your name?"

Titan grinned shyly. "Tai."

"Hello, Tai." the girl greeted. "He's adorable! How old is he?"

"Two - wait, no, three!" I furrowed my brow, wondering where the common sense in my brain went and poked Titan's cheek. ". . . How old are you?"

He held up three bent fingers. "Three! 'member?"

"Right."

Jin giggled behind her hand. "He's very cute. He looks a lot like you."

At this point, if someone assumed Titan was mine, I didn't bother correcting them. It got tiring, and it was much easier to just let them think what they think until the subject actually came up.

And it was here that I decided I liked Jin. A lot. However, that like-ness begins to falter when, during a few minutes of mindless conversation, she nods her head in Zuko's direction. "Do you know the server?"

How bold of her. I gulped, feeling something like a rubber band tighten around my stomach. "Lee? Yeah, why?" I ask out of courtesy. I already knew Jin had a crush on Zuko. This was the episode when Jin asked Zuko out on a date, and they want on a semi-romantic evening, and he actually used his firebending to light the lamps at the fountain and yadda, yadda, yadda.

"No reason, really. I was just wondering if he was seeing anyone." She took another sip of her tea, and my hands tightened into a fist. I began to remember that feeling in the pit of my stomach as the same feeling I got when my friends got a 'crush' on my favorite characters in books or TV shows. But I had to remember that Zuko wasn't a character, and that in this world of fiction-gone-nonfiction I had no right to put some kind of creepy claim over him. Still, I couldn't help but clear my throat and find some way to steer the conversation.

The gears in my mind shifted and clicked perfectly, with the reminder that the _Tales of Ba Sing Se_ episode told me where Katara and Toph were going to be today for their girl's night out.

"Lee isn't very social." I say slowly. "Which kind of sucks because I never have anyone to go places with. I thought I heard about a nice Spa around here, do you know of any?" This would be the perfect time to get some information from a local.

"I don't know where you heard that. Spas are usually reserved for the richer districts up north." She spoke as if this were an obvious thing I should know, and I nearly smacked myself.

"Oh, yeah. Right. Silly me." I licked my lips, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in the aftermath of my ignorance and occupied myself with fussing over Titan, who sat on the bench obediently with barely eaten sandwich in his hand.

"This bread is hard." he whined, nibbling on the sliced tomato instead. I rolled my eyes, understanding his adjustment over the _real bakery-made_ bread. Instead of the soft slices he was used to back home, this bread was covered in crust and had to be hand-cut (a feat I found more difficult than anything).

He gave me large, pleading eyes.

"I wan'na cookie."

I rolled my eyes. "What do you say?"

"*_Fa'amolemole?"_

"_Aii_, eat your food."

-x-

**Zuko**

"_Do you know the waiter?"_

Zuko nearly spilled the tea he was pouring for a customer three tables down. His suspicions with the girl, Jin, hadn't wavered. Nina may buy the innocent act, but she _was _quite naïve. Just look at where her friendship with Jet got her! However, he didn't expect Jin to converse about him outright.

He could see, with a quick glance as he stood back behind the counter, that Nina's shoulders had stiffened. Aware of her discomfort, he found himself cleaning a table just within earshot.

"_Lee isn't very social."_ she replied. Zuko blinked at the use of his fake-name. It sounded so _wrong_ coming from Nina's lips. He can't even think of the last time she said his fake-name_. "Which kind of sucks because I never have anyone to go places with. I thought I heard about a nice Spa around here, do you know of any?"_

Now that was strange. Why would Nina be interested in a Spa? It wasn't like she had any money to afford it - and he knew this due to the painfully quiet jingles in her coin pocket. Actually, where would she even _hear_ of a Spa in town? Did she have other friends he didn't know about? Not that it was his business _who_ she hung out with during her time away from him. After all, there was no need for the three of them - He, Nina, and Tai - to spend every waking moment of the day with each other.

When Jin told Nina that there weren't Spas in the poor districts, Nina quickly turned her attentions to Titan, agreeing that she should've known that.

Zuko grit his teeth and risked another glance at their table as if the answers he was searching for would present themselves to him. He didn't know why, but the simple subjects felt really out of the blue. Was she trying to avert Jin's attention away from him?

If she was, it didn't work. Zuko, lost in his thoughts, turned from wiping down the table and nearly jumped out of his own skin when he found Jin standing next to him.

"Thank you for the tea." she said, her smile unwavering at his sudden unease.

"Uh," Zuko tried to blink the surprise from his eyes.

"You're Lee, right?"

His answer was automatic, making his voice very monotonous. "Yes. I am Lee."

"Hi, Lee. My name is Jin. I just wanted to say thank you and . . . I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime?"

Well, that gave him an explanation for her constant presence that he didn't expect. In fact, the question caught Zuko so off guard, he was probably staring at Jin slack-jawed with fast-blinking eyes for a good fifteen seconds before his brain fully processed her words.

"Oh . . . uh . . . I can't!" He tried thinking, but his brain just wouldn't cooperate. He'd never been good at speaking to girls who liked him before. He thought of his sister's childhood friend Mai, and his mother's giggling as she explained why the girl was always blushing and sheepish around him.

Jin frowned, and tilted her head. "Oh, okay. Maybe some other time."

"Because I have girlfriend!" he blurted. "Yeah! A girlfriend. And, uh, she wouldn't want me to because, you know." He stuttered over his words, feeling himself look like a complete idiot as the old man three tables over chuckled and whispered something to his companion.

Jin blinked owlishly at him for a second, almost as if she didn't believe him. Zuko ears burned in a way he never felt before, and his eyes flickered in Nina's direction. Jin followed his gaze, and then broke out into an even bigger grin.

He could see with the look on her face that she was putting what he could only assume meant 'two and two together'. She may be coming to the _wrong_ conclusion, but it was one he understood immediately nonetheless.

"Oh! Okay, then. I understand!" She took a few steps back. Her understanding was clear on her face - she was thinking, not that Nina and Zuko were _dating_, but that he had a _crush_ on Nina.

"I'll be going then. See you later!"

"Wait! That's not what I -"

But she was gone before he could explain himself and his stupidity. Nina, bidding Jin a quick goodbye, looked up at him in confusion.

"What happened?"

Zuko crossed his arms and cleared his throat. "Nothing! Nothing happened!" He huffed.

Stomping away, Zuko willed his embarassment to burst into flames.

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry for grammar mistakes. I'm writing, editing, and posting this at 3 in the morning. Yay, summer (she types sarcastically).

Re-watching _The Tales of Ba Sing Se_ reminded me how awkward Zuko actually is, so I'm scared that I've been writing him too serious? And Jin is just a cheerful, forgiving character, and I absolutely adore her.

Because the original planning for chapter 12 ended up long, I decided to split it into two parts. Which means you'd get an earlier update than you would have! Yay! Again, I'm so sorry for disappearing. Life has been hectic, my motivation has been shot, and . . . yeah. Again, I'm sorry!

*Fa'amolemole (Fa-ah-moe-leh-moe-leh)  
>Titan just said '<em>Please<em>' in Samoan. Nina's sounds in exasperation (am I using that right?) such as _Aii_ or _Aish_ (along with others) are common sounds Polys make to show their annoyance.


End file.
